US to ‘run’ Venezuela until safe transition: A look at the last time the US took control of a country

US President Donald Trump declared that the United States would “run” Venezuela until a “safe, proper, and judicious” transition to a new government could take place. This announcement came hours after US forces launched a military strike on Venezuela, capturing President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.

Trump’s declaration was unmistakably direct. In a news conference, Trump said, “We are going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” stressing that the US would not allow another regime like Maduro’s to take root again.

He spoke of having “boots on the ground” and discussed the possibility of US companies rebuilding Venezuela’s infrastructure and controlling its oil resources, a critical factor in the nation’s collapsing economy. Moreover, Trump also posted the first photo of captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on his Truth Social platform, showing him aboard the U.S. warship USS Iwo Jima. 

Yet Trump’s announcement also left many questions unanswered. While he said the US would oversee the country’s transition, he offered little in terms of a timeline or specifics about how it would work. When asked who would lead Venezuela during this period of US control, Trump gave a vague answer: “a group,” referring to his advisers without naming specific individuals or a framework.

While this aggressive stance toward Venezuela is new, the idea of the US “running” a country during a transition is not without precedent. The most recent example of this occurred in Iraq, following the 2003 US invasion.

The US taking control of Iraq

In March 2003, the United States, under President George W Bush, launched an invasion of Iraq, citing the need to eliminate weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) that the regime of Saddam Hussein was believed to possess. The invasion was also framed as part of the broader War on Terror following the 9/11 attacks. A coalition of forces from the US, UK and several other nations quickly toppled Saddam Hussein’s government, and the country fell under US control.

Similar to Trump’s assertions about Venezuela, the US immediately took charge of Iraq’s governance. After Hussein was captured and eventually executed, the US established the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), which served as a temporary government to oversee Iraq’s reconstruction and political transition.

How did the US ‘run’ Iraq?

One of the first steps taken by the US was de-Ba’athification, a policy designed to remove all members of Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath Party from positions of power.

While the goal was to eliminate the influence of Hussein’s loyalists, the policy also led to the disbanding of Iraq’s military and the removal of thousands of skilled professionals from the civil service.

The US also reportedly worked on crafting a new Iraqi constitution, which was approved in 2005. This constitution established a federal parliamentary system and promised the rights of freedom and democracy.

Iraq held its first multi-party elections in 2005, marking a significant step toward a democratic government. The country was officially handed over to an Iraqi government in 2004, but US forces remained in Iraq, providing security, training, and support for the nascent government.

Despite the initial efforts to establish a democratic government, Iraq’s post-invasion period was marked by insurgency, sectarian violence, and the rise of extremist groups like ISIS. In 2007, President Bush ordered a troop “surge” to restore order, which temporarily stabilised parts of the country. However, insurgency and violent extremism continued to plague Iraq long after the US withdrew its forces.

Trump’s statement that the US will “run” Venezuela raises serious questions about the feasibility and consequences of such an ambitious goal. The experience in Iraq shows how difficult it can be to manage the political, economic, and social challenges of a country post-intervention.