I don't really know what to say at this point.
As far as the legality of what we did, I don't see a problem with it (at least I don't think so). The United States should be able to steamroll some random guy in Grenada or Venezuela if we feel like he's a bad actor. International law and the ICC is a bad joke and shouldn't constrain our behavior. Domestically, the War Powers resolution should allow the executive to do something like this.
The problem is, why are we doing this? And who is "we"? I have never seen convincing evidence that removing Maduro will reduce the flow of drugs into the US, or that it will remove communism from the country. As far as the oil, if Exxon Mobil or whoever is able to drill in Venezuelan oilfields now, that's great for them, but how does it benefit the rest of us? For some reason, I don't think Americans will get anything out of this.
The drug angle is especially stupid because Trump just pardoned another South American head of state (Juan Hernandez) who is on tape wanting to "shove cocaine up the noses of gringos."
The only country that tangibly benefits, at this point, is Israel, given that Venezuela has been a known and acknowledged thorn in their side for years. It's no surprise that the next presidential hopeful Maria Machado will not shut up about how many things she's ready to do for them.
Some people are alleging that China and Russia were establishing a foothold in our backyard with Venezuela. They do indeed supply some oil to China (2-5% of China's supply) but I haven't heard of any other involvement, certainly nothing substantial enough to warrant regime change.
I also have a problem with the example this is setting globally. We are going to charge a foreign head of state with possession of machine guns? So when Germany brings an American citizen up on charges for violating their hate speech laws are we going to pretend we're better than that? Are we still going to pretend that Russia invading Ukraine was unjustified?
If Maduro was repeatedly aggressing on the US and uniting himself with China/Russia, I don't think I have a problem with this. But I just don't see it.
The Chinese had fully bought and paid for the Maduro regime, and were building up their military with Venezuelan oil. Regardless of what other benefits this action may or may not have, securing that resource as a US asset and denying the Chinese access to it is more than enough justification.
Every leader in the American sphere of influence just woke up with a knife next to their pillow. Trump has just sent a message that he doesn't need to bog down his military in a decades-long "intervention" in order to get rid of people who fuck around. Maduro dared the US to go get him, so Trump did. In the middle of the night, they killed his bodyguards, yoinked him and his wide out of the country and just for good measure, cremated Hugo Chavez to send a message.
Where can you read about this?
Why are we just hearing this now? The three explanations offered were 1) drugs, 2) oil, 3) communism.
Chinese and Xi specifically "invested" in Venezuela
China "investing" in Venezuelan infrastructure---that is, buying government officials---in exchange for oil
80% of Venezuela's oil exports were going to China
Couple that with the Chinese government and all of their mouthpieces whining about Maduro's capture. Venezuela was the biggest recipient of belt-and-road initiative funding in Latin America: that program has always been about Chinese influence peddling in the second and third world.
Yes, Maduro was also a major narcotrafficker, and a Communist who impoverished a country that should be one of the richest in the world, but all three of these things are of secondary importance to the message this sends to the leader of every country in the US's backyard: I can yank out out of your bed in the middle of the night and there is nothing you can do about it.
This is embarrassing. That baboon literally just pardoned an actual narcotrafficker.
Have some dignity.
If you mean the former president of Honduras, who cooperated with cartels to move drugs through his territory, that guy was a facilitator, not a major player, and it's pretty fucking obvious to anyone who isn't suffering from terminal TDS that that pardon was in return for information that could lead to the arrest of much more important cartel leaders.