When I first heard about the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, my thoughts drifted to what country supports the move and what countries oppose the military action and what possible ramifications will manifest. We are yet to find out, I am suggesting international law has been breached, there will be an emergency meeting of the United Nations, but what can they do?

The United States is pretty good at invasion planning and execution, they have less than a stellar record in running countries though. With Russia and China both seeking imperialistic expansion themselves, there is some concern that the Trump Administration is seeking to divide up world spheres with the United States taking the western hemisphere, Russia taking Europe and China left to the Asia Pacific and Africa.

So I expected neighbouring South American countries would condemn the military action, that goes without saying. Cuba has been importing Venezuelan oil, with the US blockade has pretty much shut down Cuba, that has already hit them hard. As Cuba is a long-standing enemy of the United States, they should have plenty of concerns. With this new adventurism in the United States, Cuba could well be the next target. We are learning the kidnapping was pretty surgical, Delta are a highly professional force, 150 aircraft took place in the raid to take out air defences, bomb military installations and provide the distraction so Delta Force could slip in and out reasonably undetected.

With the Chinese envoy meeting with Maduro only hours before, this poses a significant problem. Beijing has a financial interest in Venezuela, with $105 billion between 2007 and 2016 as part of theBelt and Road Initiative in Latin America. With a reported $19 billion in outstanding loans, an oil-for-loans programme running through the China Development Bank is now in jeopardy. With Donald Trump announcing the United States will now run Venezuela, it is unclear if China will purchase oil from the United States or Venezuela. What about the people who lost their lives? The death count is still unknown, what about the people who lost their homes, what will become of them?