Nicolás Maduro briefly sang a line from John Lennon’s 'Imagine' at a Caracas rally while reports say the US is moving a carrier strike group into the Caribbean after claiming to have destroyed boats linked to drug trafficking. Washington has discussed an anti-narcotics mission called Operation Southern Spear and reviewed options that include targeted strikes and actions against oil infrastructure. Venezuelan officials fear the campaign could be a pretext for regime change, while US leaders face political and operational risks.
Maduro Sings 'Imagine' at Caracas Rally as US Carrier Group Masses Nearby
Nicolás Maduro briefly sang a line from John Lennon’s 'Imagine' at a Caracas rally while reports say the US is moving a carrier strike group into the Caribbean after claiming to have destroyed boats linked to drug trafficking. Washington has discussed an anti-narcotics mission called Operation Southern Spear and reviewed options that include targeted strikes and actions against oil infrastructure. Venezuelan officials fear the campaign could be a pretext for regime change, while US leaders face political and operational risks.
02:24 AM, 11/17/2025Conflict
Maduro appeals for peace with John Lennon song as tensions rise
Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro broke into a line from John Lennon’s "Imagine" during a political rally in Caracas, urging supporters 'to do everything for peace, as John Lennon used to say.' He sang 'imagine all the people' as musicians played chords from the 1971 song and the crowd waved and returned his double peace-sign gesture.
The 62-year-old described the song as 'an anthem for all eras and generations,' encouraged young people to study its lyrics, and called Lennon 'a gift for humanity.'
Military buildup and worries of regime change
At the same time, Washington has been reported to be assembling a substantial naval presence in the Caribbean. US officials say they have destroyed about 20 boats they allege were being used to smuggle drugs. A carrier strike group led by the nuclear-powered USS Gerald R. Ford, with F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft aboard, is expected to arrive in the region imminently.
Relations between Mr. Maduro and US President Donald Trump have deteriorated amid US allegations that elements of the Venezuelan government are complicit in drug trafficking. Pete Hegseth, a Trump ally, described a new mission codenamed Operation Southern Spear as intended to remove 'narco terrorists from our hemisphere.'
"We are tracking reports that the Maduro narco regime may be preparing to sabotage key Venezuelan infrastructure ... and later blame the United States or the democratic opposition," said Florida Republican congressman Carlos Gimenez. He added that while those reports were unverified, they 'match the desperate tactics of a collapsing dictatorship.'
Venezuelan officials and supporters fear that an anti-drug campaign could be used as a pretext for regime change. The White House has not provided explicit public details of any concrete military plan; President Trump told reporters he had 'sort of' decided on a course of action but did not specify what that would be.
US options reportedly discussed with the president have ranged from targeted strikes on land targets or members of Mr. Maduro's inner circle to operations intended to seize or secure oil infrastructure. Privately, aides have warned that any plan that risks becoming an embarrassing failure or endangering US troops would carry significant political costs.
A senior European official told the New York Times that US diplomats had portrayed the deployment primarily as a pressure tactic to test how Mr. Maduro would react, not necessarily as a prelude to immediate military action.
Senator Marco Rubio has said any operation would be focused on disrupting the drug trade; in private briefings, administration officials reportedly told congressional leaders they had no official aim of regime change. Earlier this year, Venezuelan officials reportedly offered the Trump administration a dominant stake in the country's oil and mineral wealth as part of diplomatic talks — an offer that was discussed but ultimately fell through in October.
Why this matters
The situation raises complex questions for US policymakers: the desire to disrupt drug trafficking, the risk of military involvement in a volatile country with vast oil reserves, and the domestic political cost of deploying forces overseas. For many Venezuelans, the immediate spectacle of their president singing a peace anthem contrasts sharply with the growing shadow of foreign military power nearby.