Trump and Venezuela/Greenland

The Trump Administration's global policy has drawn a lot of attention following a recent military intervention in Venezuela and President Trump’s preceding comments regarding future plans for acquiring Greenland. Although these situations differ, they both represent an aggressive approach to U.S. foreign policy. 

On January 6, 2026, the United States government launched a special operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The operation, codenamed Operation Absolute Resolve, began when U.S. Armed Forces bombed infrastructure in northern Venezuela to infiltrate Maduro’s Caracas military complex. Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were then extradited to New York City and indicted on multiple narcoterrorism charges. Donald Trump and his administration maintain that this operation was justified as a law-enforcement act, and that access to Venezuelan oil reserves was its primary reason.  

This operation has raised questions over the broad authority that modern presidents exercise over the use of military force and the limits that may be being approached. The United States’ executive branch allows the President to use military force without congressional authorization on the caveat that it supports U.S. interests and does not involve prolonged military engagements. With combined casualties of at least 55 Venezuelan security and Cuban military officers, international law experts state that this event violated international law, the UN charter, and Venezuela’s sovereignty. 

President Trump has also recently stated that he is interested in acquiring Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of NATO member Denmark, for national security concerns from Russia and China in the region and increased interest in Greenland’s natural resources. Greenland and Denmark’s prime ministers have both rejected Trump’s demands of United States control.