Jan 3, 2026 – U.S. Delta Force abducts Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from a fortified Caracas compound and transports them toward New York for drug‑trafficking prosecution, marking a bold, unilateral strike on a sovereign leader. The operation is presented as part of a “Trump Corollary” that updates the Monroe Doctrine to reassert U.S. influence in the hemisphere and to dismantle Maduro’s narco‑trafficking network, while also tying the move to a “migration corollary” affecting the roughly 700,000 Venezuelan migrants in the United States[5].

Jan 4, 2026 – President Trump publicly pushes for U.S. control of Greenland, arguing it is needed for “national security” because of Russian and Chinese activity and its rare‑earth resources, and proposes appointing Gov. Jeff Landry as a special envoy to pursue the island’s annexation. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s government reject the idea, warning it would breach sovereignty and strain NATO ties[9].

Jan 5, 2026 – U.S. special forces capture Maduro and his wife in a dramatic overnight raid, citing a 25‑page charging document alleging kidnappings, beatings and murders, and present the operation as the first step in a broader “Donroe Doctrine” that supersedes the Monroe Doctrine. Trump hails the raid on Fox News as “amazing work” and frames it as a quick victory that will be followed by further interventions across the Americas[2].

Jan 5, 2026 – A Washington Post poll shows the American public split on the Maduro capture (40 % approve, 42 % oppose), while earlier surveys had shown far stronger opposition, indicating partisan lenses are shaping opinions on the administration’s foreign‑policy gamble[4].

Jan 6, 2026 – The White House expands the rhetoric of the Maduro raid into a hemispheric expansionist agenda, posting on official and campaign accounts that “THIS IS OUR HEMISPHERE” and threatening other nations, while a Reuters‑Ipsos poll finds only about one‑third of Americans support the strike and 72 % worry about over‑involvement abroad[3].

Jan 6, 2026 – Trump declares that “American dominance in the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again,” using the Maduro seizure to pressure neighboring countries, renew calls to seize Greenland, and warn that Cuba “is going down” without Venezuelan oil, while promising U.S. oil firms access to Caracas’ reserves[8].

Jan 6, 2026 – Analysts note that the raid occurs without congressional authorization or an international mandate, challenging the post‑World‑War II norm of restrained statecraft and prompting concerns in South Korea that the U.S. may apply similar unilateral logic to East‑Asian flashpoints such as the Taiwan Strait[11].

Jan 7, 2026 – China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning vows deeper cooperation with Latin America and rejects U.S. demands that Venezuela cut ties with Beijing, calling the request “bullying” and a violation of international law, thereby intensifying great‑power competition in the region[7].

Jan 7, 2026 – Following the Caracas raid, North Korea launches a hypersonic missile, a move linked by analysts to the perception that “nuclear weapons remain the only reliable insurance against external coercion,” underscoring how U.S. unilateral actions can provoke escalatory behavior from rivals and heighten security concerns for allies like Seoul[10].

Jan 8, 2026 – At Mar‑a‑Lago, Trump announces the “Donroe Doctrine,” formally replacing the Monroe Doctrine and extending the U.S. “backyard” northward to Greenland, citing the island’s mineral wealth and Venezuela’s oil as strategic assets to be mobilized under the new policy. The article warns that such unilateral dominance could erode the post‑war order and NATO’s transatlantic stability, potentially reverting the world to an “age of empires”[1].

Jan 9, 2026 – The administration confirms that Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores are detained in a Brooklyn facility, branding the operation as proof of “deterrence” and promoting the Donroe Doctrine as a lasting framework for hemispheric security. Experts caution that the rhetoric faces practical constraints, calling for clearer objectives, resource allocation, and alliance coordination, while urging NATO partners to shoulder a greater defense burden[6].