I just posted a complementary analysis that adds the behavioral psychology and NSS architecture angles to what you’ve documented here.
The key addition: This isn’t improvisation——it’s the National Security Strategy’s “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine being implemented exactly as written.
The November 2025 NSS explicitly calls for “reasserting and enforcing” hemispheric dominance, using military force to deny “non-Hemispheric competitors” (read: China) access to “strategically vital assets” in our sphere of influence.
Maduro’s capture wasn’t the escalation endpoint, it was the template.
The NSS framework identifies “regional champions” who will enforce U.S. interests, and makes clear what happens to governments that refuse: You get labeled narcoterrorist, blockaded, struck, and extracted.
From a behavioral lens, this is commitment escalation.
From a diplomatic perspective, this is the funeral for rules-based order announced on Truth Social at Mar-a-Lago.
Your reporting captured the mechanics. I tried to decode the doctrine behind them.
Appreciate you staying up and documenting this in real-time.
Hi explisset. You up and paying attention too. I am beside myself. I am 72, lived through outrage over Cambodia and lord knows Iraq, But even the deepest suckers don't live in fear of Venezuela! No. This was calculated for Friday night. Will our elected representatives golf through the weekend? Stand by.
This is giving me Panama under Bush 41. This is a late-night ‘surgical’ strike sold as restoring order, dropped on a Friday night so the weekend fog does the work, and then Congress is left playing catch-up after the fact. I suspect this will end up as more law enforcement police action rather than an Iraq style military invasion and complete takeover.
I also lived through numerous outrageous instances of U.S. illegally wasting precious human life and their potential for advancing human progress, since November 22, 1963; including Tricky Dick Nixon having our military drop more bombs than those dropped on Asia in all of WW II on the people and agricultural fields and villages of Vietnam where I and others worked to construct roads that hopefully served the populace long after our overdue exit ( Dick was elected on his campaign promise to end the never-declared "war" that was a "police-action") -as I'm in my 70's, too. This trumpian regime is more blatant and has put in place more incompetent & heartless killers in high positions. They must be stopped now...
More to the point, in my humble opinion, neither would Kamala Harris have even considered for 1 minute doing anything remotely like this - neither would her Secretary of Defense (not War).!
Thank you for your reporting. Am sickened by this as awakened this am. At this point it appears Congress was not informed. Why would he, which is beyond belief. How many times will the U.S. flex our illegalities? In my lifetime from Vietnam, Iran, etc.. there’s just too many to list. Putting our service members in peril over ego and in my mind to change the MSM news cycle away from Jack Smith’s testimony release.. Again thank you for more detail of this illegal removal of a sitting president and his wife from another country..
Thoughts… when the remainder of the TRUMP-Epstein files start dropping is he going to go into Iran?… JFC
Thank you for this excellent report. It is more comprehensive than anything I’ve read in the news media and I’ve been up much of the night following the story. We now know Trump has declared the US has captured Maduro and his wife. I can’t imagine anything more dangerous than our military under the direction of this man-child and his enablers.
Considering what Mark Kelly & others posted regarding the right of the military to refuse "illegal" orders - it seems there's no one who has the courage(?) to do so. Watching the attacks on small boats & follow-up strikes if there are survivors - exactly how inhumane do these orders have to be before someone refuses?
This is an excellent document, so quickly produced and so accurate. Also, an important snapshot demonstrating that South American leaders were accurately reporting the attack before the US admitted it was the perpetrator. Better info than the NYT.
Thank you for keeping us informed. I am sick about this and have already called my senators and rep -- and I encourage everyone to do this. 5calls.org will provide their contact information.
Thanks Xplisset for the great breakdown of reporting on this unlawful and unsanctioned attack on Venezuela! I’m appalled and angry that trump has taken it upon himself to take this action. We, the People here in America don’t want this and I sincerely hope that Congress grows som brass
ba—s and starts impeachment of this entire regime! Time to contact Congress-calls, emails, get them back in an emergency session!
I think the interests of communist hegemony owe the Trump administration a huge "thank you", as there is nothing they, themselves, could have done that would more effectively motivate much of Latin America to move toward the political left, accept communist China's aid and assistance, and to rebuff American interests. Johan is correct...this is another nail in the coffin of "rules based order", and your reporting is both excellent and welcome compared to what I've seen to date from "legacy media". Thanks.
Excellent breakdown, Xplisset.
I just posted a complementary analysis that adds the behavioral psychology and NSS architecture angles to what you’ve documented here.
The key addition: This isn’t improvisation——it’s the National Security Strategy’s “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine being implemented exactly as written.
The November 2025 NSS explicitly calls for “reasserting and enforcing” hemispheric dominance, using military force to deny “non-Hemispheric competitors” (read: China) access to “strategically vital assets” in our sphere of influence.
Maduro’s capture wasn’t the escalation endpoint, it was the template.
The NSS framework identifies “regional champions” who will enforce U.S. interests, and makes clear what happens to governments that refuse: You get labeled narcoterrorist, blockaded, struck, and extracted.
From a behavioral lens, this is commitment escalation.
From a diplomatic perspective, this is the funeral for rules-based order announced on Truth Social at Mar-a-Lago.
Your reporting captured the mechanics. I tried to decode the doctrine behind them.
Appreciate you staying up and documenting this in real-time.
—Johan
Hi explisset. You up and paying attention too. I am beside myself. I am 72, lived through outrage over Cambodia and lord knows Iraq, But even the deepest suckers don't live in fear of Venezuela! No. This was calculated for Friday night. Will our elected representatives golf through the weekend? Stand by.
This is giving me Panama under Bush 41. This is a late-night ‘surgical’ strike sold as restoring order, dropped on a Friday night so the weekend fog does the work, and then Congress is left playing catch-up after the fact. I suspect this will end up as more law enforcement police action rather than an Iraq style military invasion and complete takeover.
I also lived through numerous outrageous instances of U.S. illegally wasting precious human life and their potential for advancing human progress, since November 22, 1963; including Tricky Dick Nixon having our military drop more bombs than those dropped on Asia in all of WW II on the people and agricultural fields and villages of Vietnam where I and others worked to construct roads that hopefully served the populace long after our overdue exit ( Dick was elected on his campaign promise to end the never-declared "war" that was a "police-action") -as I'm in my 70's, too. This trumpian regime is more blatant and has put in place more incompetent & heartless killers in high positions. They must be stopped now...
I'm 73 and the patients are running the insane asylum!
Somehow I don't see Bernie Sanders bombing Venezuela & kidnapping its President. FWIW.
More to the point, in my humble opinion, neither would Kamala Harris have even considered for 1 minute doing anything remotely like this - neither would her Secretary of Defense (not War).!
Thanks, Rebecca Brents! Could you please tell me what FWIW stands for?
for what it's worth
Thanks!
Thank you for the prompt and detailed coverage of this.
It’s infuriating that our currently elected government would go to war just to cover up their scandals. Just how bad are those Epstein files??
Thank you for your reporting
Sounds like a distraction X. Release the Epstein Files.
I feel sick.
Thank you for your reporting. Am sickened by this as awakened this am. At this point it appears Congress was not informed. Why would he, which is beyond belief. How many times will the U.S. flex our illegalities? In my lifetime from Vietnam, Iran, etc.. there’s just too many to list. Putting our service members in peril over ego and in my mind to change the MSM news cycle away from Jack Smith’s testimony release.. Again thank you for more detail of this illegal removal of a sitting president and his wife from another country..
Thoughts… when the remainder of the TRUMP-Epstein files start dropping is he going to go into Iran?… JFC
Thank you for this excellent report. It is more comprehensive than anything I’ve read in the news media and I’ve been up much of the night following the story. We now know Trump has declared the US has captured Maduro and his wife. I can’t imagine anything more dangerous than our military under the direction of this man-child and his enablers.
Considering what Mark Kelly & others posted regarding the right of the military to refuse "illegal" orders - it seems there's no one who has the courage(?) to do so. Watching the attacks on small boats & follow-up strikes if there are survivors - exactly how inhumane do these orders have to be before someone refuses?
This is an excellent document, so quickly produced and so accurate. Also, an important snapshot demonstrating that South American leaders were accurately reporting the attack before the US admitted it was the perpetrator. Better info than the NYT.
Thank you for keeping us informed. I am sick about this and have already called my senators and rep -- and I encourage everyone to do this. 5calls.org will provide their contact information.
Thank you for relaying this information without indulging in unverified rumors. I will follow this story closely as I await confirmation.
We're saving Venezuela same way we saved Vietnam! We must destroy that village to save it!
Thanks Xplisset for the great breakdown of reporting on this unlawful and unsanctioned attack on Venezuela! I’m appalled and angry that trump has taken it upon himself to take this action. We, the People here in America don’t want this and I sincerely hope that Congress grows som brass
ba—s and starts impeachment of this entire regime! Time to contact Congress-calls, emails, get them back in an emergency session!
It’s official: the United States is a dictatorship ruled by a maniac.
I think the interests of communist hegemony owe the Trump administration a huge "thank you", as there is nothing they, themselves, could have done that would more effectively motivate much of Latin America to move toward the political left, accept communist China's aid and assistance, and to rebuff American interests. Johan is correct...this is another nail in the coffin of "rules based order", and your reporting is both excellent and welcome compared to what I've seen to date from "legacy media". Thanks.