There's certainly a fuzzy line there somewhere, but the Maduro raid is clearly on the non-invasion side of it. This operation was much more similar to the Bin Laden raid than to even the smallest operation that could be considered an invasion.
Intent is important here. It’s an invasion if the objective is to establish sustained military control over some portion of the country’s territory.
But if the intention is some other military objective: blow up a military base, kidnap a president, etc, and get out quickly, then I don’t think the word “invasion” applies.
I have no idea who has decided that "invade" means "establish sustained military control".
With certainty that is not the original meaning of the word. In Latin and in classic English, the meaning of the word is just: "enter in a hostile manner", as it can be verified in any dictionary.
As long as foreigners have entered the territory of another country by force, that is an invasion.
It does not matter which was the duration of the invasion or whether the intent of the invasion was to stay there permanently.
An invasion may be followed, or not, by a military occupation, which is "establish sustained military control".
terminalshort|1 month ago
Reason077|1 month ago
But if the intention is some other military objective: blow up a military base, kidnap a president, etc, and get out quickly, then I don’t think the word “invasion” applies.
adrian_b|1 month ago
With certainty that is not the original meaning of the word. In Latin and in classic English, the meaning of the word is just: "enter in a hostile manner", as it can be verified in any dictionary.
As long as foreigners have entered the territory of another country by force, that is an invasion.
It does not matter which was the duration of the invasion or whether the intent of the invasion was to stay there permanently.
An invasion may be followed, or not, by a military occupation, which is "establish sustained military control".
Dylan16807|1 month ago
notahacker|1 month ago