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Amid the immense confusion following the United States attacks on Venezuela, the apprehension of President Nicolás Maduro, and statements from Trump that the US will “manage” the country and “seize control of the oil”, there is no doubt – they set a deeply alarming precedent.

A Dark Legacy and an Unprecedented Move

The United States carries a troubling legacy of interference, invasion and occupation in Latin America, but the early hours of Saturday marked its initial significant armed assault on the continent of South America. “US supremacy in this hemisphere shall not be challenged from now on,” the President stated.

The choice to militarily strike another sovereign country and seize its president – just a short time after he openly looked for a diplomatic solution – has still wider repercussions. We all have reason to be worried.

Deep Instability for a Nation in Crisis

Venezuelans have lived through a dictatorship marked by theft and failure under Mr Maduro, widely believed to have stolen the last election. They now face a future of deep insecurity. Mr Trump has indicated that Mr Maduro’s deputy, Delcy Rodríguez would follow US instructions, and rejected rightwing opposition leader and Nobel prize-winner María Corina Machado as a viable alternative.

However, Ms Rodríguez, now the interim president, has so far adopted a posture of resistance – and other parts of the leadership-stricken government are even more hardline.

A Shift in Global Role

A man who won power promising to abandon foreign wars now says he is “not afraid of boots on the ground”. Renaming the Department of Defense as the Department of War was more than posturing. He fails to perceive the world’s superpower as a guardian of order; he is converting it into a rogue state.

He believes that the America's power allows it to do as it wishes with scant penalty: consider the attacks in Nigeria and against Iranian nuclear sites. He promises that Venezuelan oil means this latest episode “won’t cost us a penny”.

A Move Devoid of International Legitimacy

George W. Bush initiated war in Iraq on a lie. But this unlawful assault came absent any United Nations mandate or authorization from lawmakers; Democrats were not even informed and say they were given false information in briefings. Mr Trump doesn’t seek to bend international norms, but to destroy them.

Set aside the implication this carries to global powers like Russia and China, and question the future path of the United States. While the raid is said to have slain 40 Venezuelans, including civilians, not a single US soldier was lost. Mr Trump’s growing sense of invincibility will almost certainly fuel additional military gambits.

Flimsy Justifications and Underlying Drivers

No one buys the excuse that this is related to the drug trade. Venezuela is only a minor conduit for cocaine; Mr Trump recently exonerated the past Honduran leader Juan Orlando Hernández for related criminal convictions. Mr Trump himself has been explicit that he is driven by the promise of energy wealth as well as a desire to project strength, the beliefs held by certain advisors, and the quest for a legacy as his standing with the American public falters.

Tepid International Response and Waning Global Governance

The worldwide reception, especially in Europe, has – with a few principled deviations – been shockingly muted. That’s not a result of Mr Maduro’s sins, but trepidation regarding Mr Trump’s wrath. The firm response from UN Secretary General António Guterres was commendable, but this episode underscores the institution’s growing irrelevance.

Mr Trump’s anti-interventionist domestic base could yet press him to focus on domestic issues once more – but soaring healthcare premiums, financial discontent and distracting files make foreign conflicts more appealing.

It has been less than 12 months into his presidential term. Other governments may come to rue the day if they stay silent now, with the question of which nation is next looming.