The Trump administration’s “capture” and removal of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by the United States has sent shockwaves across the region. And now, his administration plans to “run” Venezuela until a “safe” transition is completed.
Legal and political questions raised by the case matter deeply for small countries like the Bahamas.
The issue is not only about Venezuela, but it is also about sovereignty, power, and whether international rules apply to smaller countries when global powers act one-sidedly or only in their best interest.
President Donald Trump even boldly suggested that Cuba and Colombia could be next. Some say his actions are designed to show the US as muscular to strike fear in the region and a reminder that the US is in charge of the Caribbean and Latin America.
“This is clearly a blatant, illegal, and criminal act,” said Jimmy Gurule, a Notre Dame Law School professor and former assistant U.S. attorney.
For countries like the Bahamas, sovereignty is one of the strongest legal shields on the international stage. It should protect nations from foreign interference and ensure that no outside power can lawfully enter, arrest leaders, or conduct operations without consent.
Legal experts warn that if powerful nations normalize the arrest of sitting leaders without United Nations approval or host-state consent, small states could be left vulnerable.
The concern is that international norms no longer seem strong. Once those norms erode, smaller countries appear to lack the ability to push back.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said, “The bombings on Venezuelan territory and the capture of its president cross an unacceptable line,” he wrote in Portuguese. “These acts represent a grave affront to Venezuela’s sovereignty and yet another extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community.”
There is no indication that the Bahamas faces any similar scenario to Venezuela. The Bahamas has a stable democracy with strong diplomatic ties with the United States.
However, experts say the larger concern is the precedent the US has set, asking whether international law continues to apply equally to all nations or whether one country’s power increasingly supersedes the law.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez took to social media, saying the country will not recognize a U.S. intervention “that violates international law.”
“Spain did not recognize the Maduro regime. But neither will it recognize an intervention that violates international law and pushes the region toward a horizon of uncertainty and belligerence.”
The Bahamas also faces a delicate balancing act:
- Maintaining close relations with the United States
- Upholding international law principles
- Standing with regional partners who call for no intervention
Historically, CARICOM nations have advocated for peaceful dialogue and respect for sovereignty, even in times of crisis. How the region responds or chooses silence could shape expectations.
A moment for regional reflection
The Nicholas Maduro case has forced governments across the Caribbean to examine:
- how safe are international protections
- whether power dynamics are shifting
- and how small island states should position themselves in an increasingly unpredictable world.
