Emilio Iasiello
In early January 2026, the United States carried out Operation Absolute Resolve, combining combined elite airborne forces, covert intelligence, and, reportedly, cyber effects that plunged portions of Venezuela’s capital into darkness. President Donald Trump’s comments suggested that “certain expertise” had been used to disrupt Venezuelan infrastructure during the raid, fueling speculation about the deployment of offensive cyber capabilities alongside traditional military tools. This event was not just an example of integrated cyber operations, or even a cyber warfare event unfolding in the public spotlight. What was witnessed in Venezuela was cyber-enabled statecraft in action, a fusion of digital effects, kinetic force, and strategic signaling. Perhaps more importantly, it raised a significant question for modern diplomacy: Has the use of cyber strikes matured enough to be a viable tool of diplomacy rather than just conflict?
One thing is clear: cyber effects are not longer a shadow domain. Long considered a tool for espionage and technical disruption, cyber capabilities have ripened into full-spectrum instruments of state power. The clandestine Operation Olympic Games, which deployed Stuxnet against Iran’s uranium enrichment infrastructure more than a decade ago, signaled the first era of purposeful state-driven digital disruption. At the time, it was aimed at slowing Tehran’s nuclear drive without triggering open war.
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