Maduro's recent actions are truly a case of a warm face pressed against a cold butt, and he even dragged his wife into it, putting on a real-life demonstration of American hegemonism for the whole world to see!

On January 2nd, Maduro even made a public statement through a reporter, adopting a very soft stance: expressing willingness to negotiate a drug prohibition agreement with the US, on the condition that the dialogue be serious; if the US wants Venezuela's oil, the Venezuelan side is always welcome to allow American capital to come in; even signing a comprehensive economic development agreement is on the table.
At that time, I thought Maduro was either genuinely panicked, realizing that confronting the US head-on would lead to no good, and wanted to soften his stance for stability; or he was playing a strategic retreat to deceive the US, aiming to first lull them into complacency and buy himself some breathing room. But who would have thought that the US simply didn’t take his goodwill seriously, didn’t bother to respond, and overnight on January 3rd, directly dispatched military aircraft to storm into Caracas, arresting Maduro and his wife, reportedly even taking them back to the US!
This incident is truly ironic. Maduro, with a mindset of cooperation, extended an olive branch, hoping to exchange peace for oil and economic agreements, only to be told by the US through concrete actions: in the face of absolute hegemony, your concessions and compromises are worthless. What the US wants has never been a cooperation agreement, but to completely control Venezuela and keep this oil-rich country in its grip.
What’s even more worth pondering is that this incident serves as a warning to all countries targeted by the US: when negotiating conditions with the US, never harbor the illusion that softening your stance will lead to total concessions. The US’s logic has always been: those who follow me prosper, those who oppose me perish. As long as your actions don’t align with its interests, even if you voluntarily submit, it will still act decisively when it’s time. Maduro’s experience is the most vivid example—regarding hegemonism, compromise does not bring respect; only with enough strength can one truly stand firm.