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Within the considerable disarray following the United States attacks on Venezuela, the capture of leader Nicolás Maduro, and statements from Trump that the US will “run” the country and “take back the oil”, a single fact remains evident – they set a truly chilling precedent.

Past Interference and a New Threshold Crossed

The United States possesses a dark record of meddling, military incursions, and control in that part of the world, but the early hours of Saturday witnessed its premier large-scale offensive on the soil of a South American nation. “US supremacy in this hemisphere shall not be challenged from now on,” Trump proclaimed.

The move to assault another state and abduct its leader – only a few days after he publicly sought an off-ramp – possesses far-reaching consequences. It should alarm us all.

A Nation Left in Limbo

Venezuelans have lived through a dictatorship marked by theft and failure under Mr Maduro, commonly thought to have rigged the previous presidential vote. They now face a future of deep insecurity. Mr Trump has indicated that Maduro's second-in-command, Delcy Rodríguez would comply with American demands, and rejected prominent critic and Nobel prize-winner María Corina Machado as a viable alternative.

However, Ms Rodríguez, now the temporary head of state, has so far sounded notes of defiance – and other factions of the headless administration are far more intransigent.

The Superpower as Rogue State

A man who was elected promising to abandon foreign wars now says he is “unconcerned about deploying troops”. Renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War was not merely symbolic. He fails to perceive the world’s superpower as a international peacekeeper; he is transforming it into a rogue state.

He believes that the US’s might allows it to do as it wishes with little consequence: observe the military actions against Nigeria and Iranian installations. He promises that the oil resources of Venezuela means this new undertaking “won’t cost us a penny”.

A Move Devoid of International Legitimacy

George W. Bush launched the invasion of Iraq on a lie. But this unlawful assault came without UN resolutions of any kind or the consent of the US Congress; key legislators received no advance notice and say they were given false information in briefings. Mr Trump aims not merely to stretch international norms, but to destroy them.

Disregard the implication this carries to leaders in Moscow, Beijing, and beyond, and ask where the US itself is heading. While the raid allegedly resulted in the deaths of 40 Venezuelans, including civilians, not a single US soldier was lost. Mr Trump’s growing sense of invincibility will surely embolden additional military gambits.

The Thin Pretext and True Motives

It is widely rejected the excuse that this is about drugs. Venezuela is only a small transit route for cocaine; Mr Trump recently exonerated the former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández for drugs and weapons crimes. Mr Trump himself made it clear that he is motivated by the promise of energy wealth as well as a desire to project strength, the worldview of key officials, and the appetite for triumphalism as his standing with the American public falters.

Tepid International Response and Waning Global Governance

The global reaction, especially in Europe, has – with a few principled deviations – been surprisingly subdued. That’s not due to Mr Maduro’s sins, but trepidation regarding Mr Trump’s wrath. The forceful statement from UN Secretary General António Guterres was commendable, but this episode underscores the institution’s growing irrelevance.

Mr Trump’s anti-interventionist domestic base could yet press him to turn attention back home – but rising medical costs, public anxiety over the economy and other domestic scandals make foreign conflicts more appealing.

It has been less than 12 months into his time in office. Other governments may live to repent if they fail to speak up today, considering the potential next target.