President Trump, for his part, has already begun to frame the mission as an unmitigated success for his administration’s “America First” doctrine. By utilizing elite special forces rather than a broad-scale ground invasion, the administration claims it has achieved its primary objective with maximum efficiency. Attorney General Bondi’s public gratitude toward the “brave military” echoes a sentiment of triumphalism that is likely to dominate the administration’s narrative in the coming weeks. For the people of Venezuela, however, the “wrath of American justice” is only the beginning of a very uncertain new chapter, as the smoke clears from the strikes and the reality of a country without its long-time leader begins to set in.
