Weekly Report - 08 January 2026 (WR-26-01)

Buoyed by a supremely executed operation to seize Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro (2013-2026) in Caracas on 3 January, US President Donald Trump has mulled the possibility of further military action in other countries whose governments or criminal groups he regards as a threat to US interests, among them Colombia. Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro was initially defiant, urging citizens to take to the streets on 7 January in defence of the country’s sovereignty. That same day, however, he held a phone call with Trump which appeared to mark a de-escalation of tensions.