On Jan. 3, I was at home in Caracas when I heard explosions. My room’s windows shook and the walls trembled. At first I thought it was an earthquake, but as the second, fourth, and fifth hollow explosions followed, I knew it was the Americans. A military buildup in the Caribbean that started in Aug. 2025 hung loosely inside millions of Venezuelan’s minds. As I heard the sounds of aircraft echo above me, uncertainty sank in.  Around the world, Venezuelans were seen celebrating what many believed