Over the weekend, the United States carried out its most direct intervention in Latin America in decades, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a military operation that stunned the world.

President Donald Trump says Washington will now “run” Venezuela, as both Maduro and Flores face criminal charges in New York, including terrorism and drug-related offences.

But can a superpower legally seize a sitting head of state? Does international law allow this or has a dangerous new precedent just been set?

On The Big Story, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Juan Zahir Naranjo Cáceres, a Colombian-Australian scholar and lecturer at the University of the Sunshine Coast, to unpack the legality of the operation, the geopolitical shockwaves across Latin America, and what this moment means for the global balance of power.