Many of us woke up to the capture of Maduro and strikes in Venezuela.

Details are still incoming.

Let me set the stakes. What the US has done in the past 24 hours is its biggest geopolitical move since the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is not just about drugs. By removing Maduro, the US is literally redrawing the map of Central and South America.

There are many shockwaves, some of which I have been warning about for months now, as US forces were building up in the Caribbean. Of course, I doubt anybody imagined an operation like this, yet another sign that in today's world, the unthinkable is the status quo.

• Rest of South America will fall into one of two camps: with the US or against America. Those in the latter, like Colombia, may rally against "US interventionism," creating new obstacles for America's interests in the region.

• Little China and Russia can do except watch from the sidelines. Particularly for China, with $50-$60 billion worth of projects in Venezuela, and significantly more invested across the region, its BRI and other projects face a new kind of disruption/paralysis. The Sino-Russian axis just shrunk a little smaller.

• Venezuela is at a tipping point. Depending on what happens next with Maduro's regime, the military, and whoever the US backs to lead the nation, the country could slip into civil war. Venezuela's VP is in Moscow. Loyal Maduro officials may seek retaliation not appeasement.

There is much, much more at stake. While not connected directly to Venezuela, what the US has done in Caracas could be replicated in Tehran. As protests swell in Iran, and reports of shooting on protestors spreads, the US may intervene in a similar "shock and awe" fashion.

Just 72 hours into 2026, and geopolitics is already upending the world. And, crazy to think, US President Donald Trump wanted to strike Venezuela four days ago but could not because of bad weather. Four days ago was December 31st, 2025.

What a way to ring in the new year.