Rarely can more than two birds be killed with one stone in foreign policy.
That's unless leadership can grasp multi-causality or multi-causal synchronicity and carry out bold and adept policy executions with finesse in different theaters.
A unique part of President Donald Trump's success in leadership is precisely this ability.
The surprise stealth operation in Venezuela in the dark of early morning Jan. 3, 2026, resulted in the flawless capture of President Nicolas Maduro — one of the worst international criminals and enemies of the United States.
What many underappreciate is that the Venezuela shaped by Maduro is the key to solving peace in the Western hemisphere and beyond.
The capture and arrest of Maduro have resulted in the U.S. taking charge of Venezuela and controlling Venezuelan oil and the tankers that carry it, which means an oil embargo of Cuba.
Without oil, the communist government of Cuba will collapse within weeks — a major achievement after 65 years of communist oppression.
At the same time, Trump did not miss a beat in warning that the U.S. is "locked and loaded" to intervene and defend Iranian civilians should their Islamic government–the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism — crack down and kill civilians.
Venezuela and Iran have security agreements going back some twenty years.
Iran has been taking uranium out of Venezuela for at least the last decade, sourced in both Venezuela and Bolivia.
So, the embargo of shipping out of Venezuela is directed at more than just oil.
Like Cuba, the Iran government may be only weeks away from total collapse.
The mullah's totalitarian sharia government is a theocratic system empowering a small exclusive religious elite who command far-reaching totalitarian laws and political authority over much larger majority.
Cuba’s communist rulers Fidel and Raoul Castro exercised a different kind of totalitarian rule of absolute power that severely restricted the peoples' civil rights and liberties, with no substantive countervailing democratic checks.
Trump's actions have effectively signaled a hemispheric shift and opportunities to lead and help more than just Venezuelans, notably the people of Mexico, Columbia, and Brazil, to find their way to freedom's light, human dignity, and self-rule.
Similarly, Trump's actions send a clear message to China's President Xi Jinping, that an invasion of Taiwan may not end well.
The greatest threat to Xi Jinping’s continuing rule is a failed military invasion of Taiwan.
Xi exhibited uncertainty and hesitation to move on Taiwan during the weak Biden years because of this perceived risk of failure, which would end his career and — possibly his life.
Under Trump, the U.S. has just demonstrated extraordinary military success in complex actions requiring unprecedented inter-agency coordination and effectiveness, something the Chinese People's Liberation Army can't do.
America’s strength and advantage over the Chinese military was demonstrated with battle hardened experience and the ability to adapt and coordinate with state-of-the-art technology.
Such qualities combined with the power of the American war spirit to liberate rather than to conquer — give America a huge spiritual, psychological, and practical advantage over adversaries.
Trump has effectively closed the window of opportunity for an easy Chinese Taiwan annexation, one which existed in the latter Biden years. Xi's fear of failure, undoubtedly greater now, serves as an impediment to aggression against his island nation neighbor.
But perhaps most significant benefit from Trump's capture of Maduro is the prize of his detailed knowledge and intel about Venezuela's role in originating and managing vote manipulation and fraud, which is alleged to have affected elections globally.
Additionally, we must ask, are leaders of the globalist deep state major coordinators and protectors of vote fraud and election rigging?
Is such alleged malfeasance central and critical to their goal of taking down resistance to new global world order by sovereign independent countries — notably the United States?
While Maduro is removed from Venezuela, awaiting full indictment and trial, the Trump Administration cannot afford any illusions about the swearing in of Delcy Rodriquez as the succeeding president and her brother Jorge Rodriquez as president of the Venezuelan National Assembly.
Delci and Jorge Rodriquez are hostile Cuban-style communists.
The year 2026 began with an unexpected bang of success overseas beyond Venezuela partially due to weakness of asymmetric enemy alliances and the circumstances of multi-causal synchronicity.
But we should never forget the help from above that comes when a nation's cause is right, with enough of its citizens "turning from their wicked ways." When this is so, 2 Chronicles 7:14 reminds us, "[we] will hear from heaven."
We are living through a time where the need for American leadership is vital, and it seems providential that an unexpected non-politician outsider was raised up to serve as president — against all odds — at a time such as this.
President Trump has executed with boldness and finesse, and done so on multiple theaters.
The greatest challenges are still ahead.
May we hope and pray for God’s protection and the continuing defeat of evil this year.
Scott Powell is senior fellow at Discovery Institute. This article is a vignette out of his latest acclaimed book, "Rediscovering America," which has been a #1 new release in history for eight straight weeks at Amazon. Reach him at scottp@discovery.org. Read more Scott Powell Insider articles — Click Here Now.