Summary: The escalation of tensions between the United States and Venezuela in early 2026, marked by the reported capture of President Nicolás Maduro, reflects a deeper transformation in the nature of contemporary geopolitical conflict. Beyond narratives of law enforcement and political legitimacy, this episode illustrates how strategic competition over energy and critical minerals increasingly shapes international relations. As critical minerals become indispensable to advanced manufacturing, defense systems, and energy transitions, conflicts over their control are evolving into contests over supply chains and value creation rather than territory alone. This article examines the United States–Venezuela confrontation through the lens of Islamic economics, conceptualizing natural resources as amanah (a trust) rather than instruments of domination. Drawing on principles of khilafah (stewardship), ‘adl (justice), mizan (balance), la darar wa la dirar (non-harm), and maqasid al-shariah (the protection of life, dignity, and intergenerational welfare), the analysis argues that coercive resource politics risks institutionalizing global inequality by concentrating technological control and value added in powerful states while externalizing social and political costs to resource-rich but vulnerable countries. The article further extracts strategic lessons for developing economies, emphasizing that genuine resource sovereignty lies in controlling downstream value creation, strengthening ethical governance, and pursuing balanced diplomacy. Ultimately, it contends that sustainable global order requires integrating economic strategy with moral responsibility, ensuring that the pursuit of strategic minerals advances human welfare rather than undermines it.
Introduction: Political Conflict Driven by the Logic of the Global Economy
The escalation of tensions between the United States and Venezuela in early 2026 once again unsettled the architecture of international politics. Reports concerning the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, rapidly ignited global debate over state sovereignty, the legitimacy of extraterritorial legal actions, and the limits of power exercised by major states in enforcing legal claims beyond their borders. On the surface, the incident was framed as a matter of law enforcement, particularly in relation to transnational crime and narcotics trafficking. Yet, a closer examination reveals that the dynamics at play extend far beyond legal or political considerations alone.
At its core, the conflict pulses with the logic…
