DSA demands Maduro release while Mamdani registers opposition to Trump military operation
The Democratic Socialists of America, the nation’s largest socialist organization with direct ties to newly elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, published a comprehensive statement opposing the Trump administration’s military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on January 3, 2026. The DSA’s position reflects socialist internationalism and anti-imperialist foreign policy principles, creating political complexity for Mayor Mamdani as he navigates tensions between his democratic socialist commitments and his position as a municipal leader required to maintain relations with federal government.
The Military Operation and Its Justifications
The Trump administration characterized the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, as a successful military operation removing a dictatorial regime involved in international drug trafficking. Federal authorities charged Maduro with narcotics conspiracy and narco-terrorism, citing extensive evidence of his government’s coordination with cartels distributing cocaine and fentanyl to the United States. The operation met with significant Republican celebration and even cautious support from some Democrats concerned about both drug trafficking and the operation’s failure to notify Congress beforehand.
The DSA’s Anti-Imperialist Critique
The Democratic Socialists of America rejected the drug trafficking justification entirely, characterizing the operation as a regime-change war designed to seize Venezuela’s oil resources for American corporations. The DSA statement declared that “Trump’s war has nothing to do with drug trafficking” and framed the operation as the latest iteration of American imperialism extending back to the Monroe Doctrine and Iraq War. From a Marxist perspective, this analysis recognizes that US military interventions consistently serve capitalist economic interests rather than humanitarian concerns, regardless of official justifications offered by government spokespersons.
Historical Context: US Interventions and Resource Extraction
The DSA’s perspective draws on extensive historical documentation that American military interventions in Latin America have consistently preceded resource extraction benefiting American corporations. Guatemala 1954, Chile 1973, and countless other interventions demonstrate this pattern: democratic or anti-imperialist governments threaten corporate interests; the US intervenes; natural resources shift to American capital. Venezuela possesses the world’s largest proven oil reserves; Maduro’s government prioritized domestic consumption and nationalist resource control. From a socialist perspective, this makes regime change attractive to American policymakers regardless of Maduro’s actual governance failures.
The Complexity for Mayor Mamdani
Mayor Mamdani’s response revealed genuine political tension. He told Fox News that he “called the president and spoke with him directly to register my opposition to this act” and made clear his opposition to regime change and violations of international law. However, Mamdani stopped short of endorsing the DSA’s full demands, which included immediate release of Maduro, withdrawal of all US military presence from the Caribbean, and cessation of the “war on drugs” operations. His cautious distance from the DSA position reflects a practical political reality: as NYC mayor, he must work with federal government while maintaining ideological commitments to democratic socialism and anti-imperialism.
Municipal Socialism and Foreign Policy
This tension illustrates structural limits of municipal socialism within a capitalist nation-state. Mamdani commands no foreign policy authority; the federal government monopolizes military and diplomatic power. Yet his moral position as a democratic socialist requires opposing imperialism. The DSA, operating without government responsibility, can voice uncompromising opposition; Mamdani must navigate between principle and pragmatism. This reflects a recurring dilemma for socialist politicians: whether to maintain ideological purity or accept strategic compromise required by holding state power.
Distinguishing Imperialism from Legitimate Intervention
The left must also wrestle with difficult distinctions: opposing imperialism does not require defending authoritarian regimes like Maduro’s. The Venezuelan government has documented human rights violations, presides over severe shortages, and exercises repressive control. A mature anti-imperialist position opposes both American regime-change wars AND authoritarian governance within Venezuela. This demands nuance that rejects false choices between accepting Maduro or supporting US military intervention.
The Maduro Question: Drug Trafficking and Dictatorship
The Trump administration’s drug trafficking allegations possess substantial evidentiary basis. Maduro’s government coordinated with cocaine cartels, military factions profited from trafficking, and billions in narcotics flowed toward the United States. American drug policy itself deserves socialist critique for its militarization and failure to address addiction as a public health crisis. Yet opposing the militarized “war on drugs” should not require denying trafficking evidence or defending Maduro’s role. A socialist position would: oppose American military intervention, demand democratic processes for Venezuelan governance, and simultaneously acknowledge that Maduro’s government facilitated international drug trafficking.
DSA’s Demands and Their Implications
The DSA demanded Maduro’s release and return to power, framing this as necessary to defend Venezuelan sovereignty against imperialism. Yet this position troubles many progressives: should opposition to imperialism extend to demanding restoration of an authoritarian regime? A more sophisticated left response would distinguish between: (1) opposing US military intervention, (2) supporting Venezuelan democratic self-determination, and (3) recognizing that Maduro’s government violated that self-determination through authoritarianism. For detailed analysis, see Democratic Socialists of America’s official statements and Center for Economic and Policy Research analysis of Venezuela.
