By Sergio Garcia

The arrival of the US naval fleet and Trump in Venezuela, first threatening its coastline and then launching an elite operation that included CIA intervention in Caracas, kidnapping Maduro and Celia Flores on January 3, became a central political event at the beginning of 2026. At the time of writing this article, and surely in the days and weeks to come, it will continue to be an issue that generates outrage, tensions, political disputes, new imperialist arrangements, and very deep debates about the reasons that brought the situation to this point. From an anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, and socialist position, which rejects Trump’s interventionism outright and is also highly critical of and opposed to the Venezuelan regime now headed by Delcy Rodríguez, we will express our analysis, politics, and tasks that we believe are necessary in Venezuela and throughout the continent.

Trump’s advance is part of a global context of dispute

The worst thing we could do is to minimize the current events in Venezuela. Or believe that they are a response to Trump’s delusions, his desperation, or fleeting intentions without planning. None of that is actually true. What we have seen at the beginning of 2026 is an intensification of inter-imperialist struggles and disputes, within which the US , led by Trump, seeks to build and consolidate a new international architecture that guarantees its currently questioned leadership and hegemony, so as not to lose it to the new emerging imperialisms of China and Russia, which are advancing with their own businesses and agreements on our continent.

The events of January 3 in Venezuela and all the political actions that have taken place since then are a part of this political strategy of american imperialism, which seeks total control of the millionaire businesses that come from Venezuelan oil, as well as the political control it needs over that country and the entire continent. It is no coincidence that in its reactionary advance it also threatens Colombia, seeks total control of the Panama Canal, proposes to have military bases in Ecuador, pushes for the fall of the Cuban regime, and at the same time continues to encourage governments such as Milei’s in Argentina to make structural changes in favor of large imperialist corporations. All this is looking forward to a general political recomposition and obtaining a new balance of power more favorable to its interests in Latin America.

Reject its intervention all  across the continent

With this global, regional, and particularly Venezuelan reality, the only correct and revolutionary policy is to position ourselves clearly and actively in the streets, denouncing and confronting all of Trump and the US’s plans for the continent. From the kidnapping of Maduro and Celia Flores to his announcements of directly selling Venezuelan oil, which he cynically considers his property. We must make the greatest efforts and take the most massive and united actions possible to defeat his offensive and the plans of his direct allies such as Milei, among other regional leaders.

From the MST in the FIT-Unidad and as part of the ISL, together with our Venezuelan comrades from Marea Socialista, we call on the working class, the popular sectors, and the youth of the continent to actively mobilize against all the political, military, and economic plans of Trump and the United States. There is no possible neutrality; if they advance, they will do so at the expense of our democratic and social rights. That is why it is not enough to denounce their reactionary advance; concrete actions are needed. The attack is on Venezuela but also on the entire continent, then social responses of the same magnitude are necessary, such as a continental strike accompanied by large mobilizations in all cities and countries. In short, a mobilized continent is needed to stop this imperialist advance.

With or without Maduro, an authoritarian and decadent regime

In this new and highly complex situation, we must develop a comprehensive policy that responds to all the main things. One of them is to ratify that our opposition to Trump’s intervention is based on our political position as left-wing opponents of what remains of the Maduro regime, now headed by Delcy Rodríguez, whom we also consider irreconcilable enemies due to their deeply authoritarian and persecutory nature against left-wing and popular militancy within Venezuela. This regime has been implementing an economic and social counterrevolution for years, dismantling previous social achievements one by one, while applying brutal austerity measures combined with million-dollar deals for the ruling elite, the military, and the so-called boliburguesía.

This regime, which imperialism and the hegemonic mainstream media self-servingly and falsely portray as leftist in order to weaken genuine socialist ideology in the eyes of millions, is the antithesis of a progressive project, let alone an anti-capitalist or socialist one. It is the concrete expression of an absolute regression in relation to the popular protagonism of the most advanced years of the Bolivarian process. At the time, during Chávez’s lifetime, there was never any desire to move beyond these important partial social gains towards a radical anti-capitalist change. And this lack of strategy created the conditions, after Chávez’s death, for the subsequent regression of the entire process, changing its dynamics and its economic and social measures towards a marked setback, which required strong internal repression to sustain itself. As a result, with massive social hardship and repression by the state, it earned the hatred of the majority of the Venezuelan people, both inside and outside the country. Today, the lack of mass action in support of the current government within Venezuela is a clear example of this situation, which imperialism has perceived and is trying to exploit to the fullest.

From Trump’s tutelage to Rodríguez’s collaborationism

On the back of a highly questioned regime that was losing more and more social support prior to the kidnapping of Maduro and Celia Flores, we are now experiencing a situation in which the US government is deepening a line in favor of its interests in order to gain more and more decision-making power within Venezuela. It makes no secret of its desire to directly manage the lucrative oil business or to use that location as a springboard to further advance its dominance throughout the region. It even dares to present itself as a direct ruler of Venezuela. And it explains in interviews that it will likely remain that way for a long time. It is, in fact, a de facto government, a mixture of tutelage and internal complicity that allows it to exist.

Unfortunately, he has taken several steps in that direction toward these reprehensible goals, supported by his policy of leading, for now from a distance, a tutelary government that responds, beyond rhetoric, in practice, entirely to imperialist interests. Hence, we cannot ignore an obvious fact: the current government headed by Delcy Rodríguez, supported by her brother Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, plus the current set of officials, have been agreeing on a series of transitional measures in line with imperialist demands. Both in relation to the oil business and to the functioning and political direction of the government, they are moving to the right, with the aim of not losing their share of power in the future.

This explains why Trump is relying on them and not on the leadership of the right-wing opposition for this transition. In the future, we will see whether or not there will be any change. For now, there are no new military attacks or invasions, because the imperialist leadership does not see it as necessary at this time, as it is achieving its objectives through agreements that avoid a scenario of greater social tensions. In fact, Delcy Rodríguez herself recently stated after speaking with Trump on the phone that the conversation was “productive and courteous, conducted in a spirit of mutual respect. We discussed a bilateral agenda for the benefit of our peoples, as well as pending issues in the relationship between our governments.” In short, her words show that she is pursuing a collaborationist pact in line with Trump’s interests and her own position in power. That is why we reject this tutelary government, Trump’s policy, Rodríguez’s collaborationism, and everything that is done behind the backs of the Venezuelan people, who are the only ones with the right to decide their present and their future. Starting with their right to mobilize and confront all these spurious pacts.

The responsibility of self-defined Latin American progressivism

Since the beginning of this millennium, at different times and in different countries, there have been experiences of governments socalled progressivism. They were a byproduct of the failures of traditional forces and the rise and mobilizations that sought positive changes, which ultimately were not found in the experience with these governments. Those who, in different Latin American countries, did not bring about fundamental changes, did not really confront the most concentrated capitalist or imperialist power, which is why they did not solve the serious social problems of millions, who, in their weariness, ended up seeking other political options. Past examples from Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, among other countries, which ended up moving towards right-wing or far right-wing governments, are worth mentioning.

This leadership, which is both opportunistic and conservative in its political and economic content, with all its political alliances and regional blocs such as the Puebla Group, has navigated between failure and inaction. Between negotiations and agreements with imperialist corporations and the administration and management of a capitalist model that is harmful to our peoples, they have discouraged mass and popular mobilization. Some have failed and lost power, and in the cases of Venezuela and Nicaragua, many years ago they mutated into anti-popular, highly authoritarian, and repressive regimes. Both examples are part of the recent history of the continent, where reality has shown that projects that do not aim to change everything, atually change nothing. Thus, they sink, taking with them the disappointments of millions, thereby favoring new formations of the far right.

What to do in Venezuela?

It comes as no surprise when we say that the search for a genuine, truly democratic and progressive solution within the current Venezuelan scenario is a deeply complex issue to achieve in the immediate or short term. In this difficult context, and while we promote greater unity of action in the streets across the continent against imperialist plans, it is essential to promote within Venezuela a whole series of political and programmatic proposals for the organization and coordination of left-wing sectors independent of the current regime.

In this regard, the space known as the “National Meeting in Defense of the Rights of Peoples” is valuable, where different organizations agree on common measures independently of the Venezuelan regime. They recently carried out an important international tweetstorm and are planning to launch an international solidarity campaign, which we must all support and promote. Marea Socialista, the Venezuelan section of the ISL, is an integral part of this unified space, which must be maintained and strengthened. As an example of the development of this policy, we share here a series of proposals put forward by our comrades in Venezuela:

No to Trump’s colonialist plan and a tutelary government in Venezuela!

No to the Cooperation Agenda of the interim government of Venezuela with the aggressor and colonialist kidnapper Donald Trump!

No to the reopening of the US embassy in Caracas!

Let us denounce and repudiate the pro-interventionist and sell-out calls and applause of the right-wing opposition and María Corina Machado. The promoters of imperialist interventionism must have no place in Venezuela.

Oil for Venezuelans! Not for Trump or the thieving bureaucracy! Sovereign rescue of the oil industry under workers’ and social control, withdrawal and Venezuelan takeover of the assets of the US transnational Chevron. Workers’ and social control of all the assets of imperialist companies in Venezuela and their use in the service of a plan for recovery and attention to the national needs of our people.

End the repression and the state of emergency against the people! No more repression! Immediate release of workers imprisoned for labor struggles and prisoners held for political reasons!

The FANB must explain why the defense plans against the US incursion failed.

Urgent attention to the appalling living conditions of the working class and the people. Immediate wage increase in accordance with Article 91 of the CRBV (equivalent to the cost of the basic basket of goods and indexed) to restore living standards and deal with the emergency!

Restoration of political freedoms so that the people can regain their leading role, capacity for mobilization, and decision-making power in the face of Trump’s colonial impositions. Proceed in accordance with the provisions of the CRBV to call elections so that the people ( ) can choose freely. The people have the right to elect the government of Venezuela, not Trump or the collaborationist bureaucracy with fraud and outside the national Constitution.

Anti-imperialist and class unity from the grassroots, against Trump’s “protectorate” and the tutelary government!

Let us recover Venezuela’s independence and defend the independence of the peoples of Latin America!

Formation of a true people’s army and workers’ militias organized democratically in communities and workplaces, not subordinate to the bureaucracy and corrupt military caste that did not defend the country. Real armament of the working class and the people for the defense of the territory, the country’s assets, and the class rights and interests of the workers and the oppressed people.

To advance the struggle for the most immediate measures to alleviate the situation of the people, we need the unity of action of the organizations that act in the trade union, social, and political spheres.

We postulate the need for a truly revolutionary anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, anti-bureaucratic, democratic, and internationalist party to organize and lead the struggle toward a government of the workers and the people.

Regrouping of militant forces in a new international revolutionary project: Given that we are confronting an imperialist offensive against Latin America and worldwide, and in accordance with the resolution of the Third Congress of the ISL in December 2025, we extend the call for the international regrouping of revolutionaries to fight for fundamental solutions to the capitalist crisis, similar to what we are attempting to do with the articulation of revolutionary parties from different countries that are building the International Socialist League. The definitive defeat of imperialism cannot be the work of the people of a single country, but rather the united struggle of the peoples of the world with a collective revolutionary leadership at the forefront.

Challenges for the left in the region

When events of such magnitude occur, we never limit ourselves to their specific analysis and interpretation. Logically, understanding their causes and trends is essential, but not limited to a journalistic or historical-social sense. For us, it is much more than that; all our efforts are marked by the urgent need to deepen our political action in the reality of Venezuela and the entire Latin American continent. We live here, and here we want to put an end to all forms of imperialist interference and plans, to the authoritarian oppression of corrupt regimes, and to the new far right that is advancing by taking advantage of this critical situation.

We are well aware of the danger posed by Trump’s advance, and we do not minimize or underestimate it. That is why a first priority task for the anti-capitalist and socialist left throughout the continent is to be at the forefront of confronting them and to do so within the framework of promoting greater unity of action. And we do so with the conviction and certainty that we live in a land of liberators, that our continent has spawned diverse revolutions and rebellions throughout its rich history of struggle. And nothing prevents imperialist plans from encountering strong resistance in the coming period. That is what we are betting on, and that is the path we will push even harder in the coming period.

We do so together with the political impulse to build strong anti-capitalist and socialist political alternatives that overcome all the failures of possibilism and reformism. Left-wing political tools that bring together millions of workers and young people who hate Trump, the entire far right, and who have been disappointed by other variants.  

When we in Argentina say from the MST that the FIT- UNIDAD must overcome its limited electoral format to become something much greater and permanently functioning as a common party of democratically organized tendencies, we do so because we are aware of the challenges we will face throughout the region. And we seek to contribute to this from our country, by establishing a much larger, more solid, and more powerful political alternative.

We hope that the same revolutionary political horizon can be expressed in other countries in the region. This is so that, together, we can generate better political, anti-imperialist, and anti-capitalist conditions in the tense and polarized Latin America, where we will have to work hard.