Is exile still on the table?

"US commandos took less than three hours to bring an end to Nicolas Maduro's rule after the Venezuelan strongman spent years holding out against rising pressure from the US. More than 150 US aircraft swept into the country after the US neutralized Venezuela's air defenses, with an Army Delta Force unit delivered to the military base where Maduro was spending the night." ET. Although, Venezuelan casualties included civilians and members of security forces, US President Donald Trump exulted that the strike was "an incredible thing to see" and "no American soldiers were killed and no military equipment was lost." The Cable. It seems that Republican presidents have an urge to prove their virility by attacking weak countries in their vicinity. In October 1983, Ronald Reagan attacked the tiny Caribbean island of Grenada, with a population of just 114,621 in 2024 (wikipedia). In December 1989, George HW Bush invaded Panama, killing hundreds of Panamanian civilians and soldiers. Britannica. Panama's population was 4.9 million in 2024 and its total GDP was $87.3 billion in 2023. Global Finance. In 2003, George W Bush invaded Iraq, based on a brazen lie about weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). Britannica. Iraq had been weakened by the most egregious robbery in which the US, UK and Europe looted Iraqi oil in return for inadequate amounts of food and medicine in the grotesque "oil for food program". NYU Law. When asked about the unnecessary death of 500,000 Iraqi children from hunger and disease, Democrat Secretary of State Madeleine Albright casually said, "We think the price is worth it." johnpilger.com. Republicans and Democrats seem to share a savage brutality. And yet, the US resorts to panicked flight if faced with determined opposition as in the chaotic retreat from Afghanistan (BBC), a dirt-poor nation of an estimated 35-50 million people with an insignificant GDP of $17.329 (wikipedia), leaving behind $7.12 billion worth of military equipment, including "aircraft, air-to-ground munitions, military vehicles, weapons, communications equipment and other materials, according to the DoD report" (CNN). If Afghanistan could overwhelm the mighty US, why couldn't Saddam Hussein and Nicolas Maduro? Probably because the Taliban in Afghanistan is motivated by the Islamic ideal of Sharia (Reuters) and prepared to die to achieve paradise, while Saddam and Maduro were brutal dictators who were feared by their own commanders. Saddam was betrayed by his own cousin Gen Maher Sufiyan Al-Tariti in return for US dollars (Arab News) and Maduro was most likely betrayed by his bodyguards for the same reason (Central News). Are Democratic countries safe from US predation? Possibly, but their leaders could be kidnapped and charged in the US while visiting smaller nations, too weak to resist US pressure. Maduro's kidnapping appears a little curious. Although he is handcuffed and blindfolded, he is seen in a suit walking easily without leg irons. His Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has been sworn in as president and his party has been left intact. BBC. Apparently Maduro had rejected an offer of a luxurious exile in Turkey. msn.com. Did Maduro cooperate in his kidnapping to save face and preserve his machismo? Will he be exiled after a ritual trial and conviction? Intriguing. Very.