New Delhi, Jan. 4 -- On 3 January, the US carried out airstrikes on Caracas in the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Caribbean and its recent interdictions of vessels alleged to be carrying narcotics in Venezuelan waters. The White House framed this operation as a necessary move to dismantle narco-terrorist efforts and halt weapons being sold to anti-US forces. This large-scale operation included the 'capture' of Venezuela's leader Nicolas Maduro and there is enough to suggest that its aims were wider than claimed.

US President Donald Trump claimed Caracas has been emptying Venezuelan prisons and mental wards into the US, a narrative critics say was weak justification for the use of force.

The capture of Maduro indicates an attempt...