# Operation Absolute Resolve **Domain:** Military Operations / Western Hemisphere **Doc Type:** Event Node **Maturity:** Developing ## Definition **Operation Absolute Resolve was the January 3, 2026, U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas and transferred him to New York to face charges.** After the operation, Delcy Rodríguez became Acting President and governed in a working accommodation with Washington; by August 2026 she had eliminated PDVSA's majority-stake requirement for joint ventures, the United States had eased sanctions, and U.S. oil companies had signed their first post-Maduro agreements. ## War With Empire Context [[articles/war with empire/Trump Orders Capture of Venezuela's Maduro|Trump Orders Capture of Venezuela's Maduro]] treats the operation as the return of consequence to the grammar of sovereignty. [[articles/war with empire/Greenland and Freedom City|Greenland and Freedom City]] identifies it as the southern modality of the [[wiki/Don-roe Doctrine|Don-roe Doctrine]]—decapitation with administered continuity—paired with the northern modality of [[wiki/Treaty Partition|treaty partition]] in Greenland. ## Relationships - **Doctrine:** [[wiki/Don-roe Doctrine|Don-roe Doctrine]] · [[wiki/Enforcement Credibility|Enforcement Credibility]]. - **Source articles:** [[articles/war with empire/Trump Orders Capture of Venezuela's Maduro|Trump Orders Capture of Venezuela's Maduro]] · [[articles/war with empire/Greenland and Freedom City|Greenland and Freedom City]] in [[collections/War With Empire|War With Empire]]. ## Sources / Provenance - [2026 United States intervention in Venezuela](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_intervention_in_Venezuela) (Wikipedia, accessed September 22, 2026). - [Firms move in on Venezuelan oil seven months post Maduro removal](https://www.semafor.com/article/08/03/2026/firms-move-in-on-venezuelan-oil-seven-months-post-maduro-removal) (Semafor, August 3, 2026). - [U.S. oil companies sign some of the first deals with Venezuela since Maduro's capture](https://www.npr.org/2026/08/20/nx-s1-5938237/u-s-oil-companies-sign-some-of-the-first-deals-with-venezuela-since-maduros-capture) (NPR, August 20, 2026).