Assume you are the Venezuelan Minister of the Interior. You are a patriot, and the thought of Trump, Rubio, and Hegseth running your country doesn’t exactly appeal to you. You are planning to resist. What do you do?
Three things. First, you prepare for a guerrilla war, to be fought mostly in the jungle. You can anticipate some assistance from the ELN, from drug gangs, and from lots of international volunteers. Second, you take American hostages. Third, you plant explosives with timers on as many oil producing facilities as possible, and you make sure Trump hears about it. It is now clear, if there was ever any doubt, that the principal American objective is control over Venezuelan oil; Trump might be more willing to negotiate if he has reason to believe he will be inheriting nothing but wreckage.