It was just weeks ago that I asked the question, is America stumbling into a war with Venezuela? Well, today I got my answer: Venezuelan Prime Minister Nicolás Maduro and his wife were taken into custody by the US military this morning. They are soon going to face drug related charges. Before the attack President Donald Trump gave no acknowledgment to congress, nor any real explanation to the American public about it. It could be seen as an illegal assault, given that only congress has the right to declare war on another country. At the very least, Trump could have looked at the polls that showed strong majorities of Americans opposing military action in Venezuela and addressed the people's concerns before the attack. But instead he just acted without warning or approval, behaving like the king he thinks he is.
After the assault, Trump did address the nation, but he was frustratingly vague in both his explanation for the attack or what happens next. Ominously, he said that the United States would “run the country” until a “safe, proper and judicious transition” could be made. He even mentioned the possibility of sending American troops to Venezuela.
Clearly, the taking of Maduro was a relatively easy thing to do, but what lies ahead will almost certainly not be. Venezuela is a country of almost thirty million people, and is around twice the size of California. Just what will it take for America to be able to "run the country"? If we do send troops to the country, will this be seen a major betrayal from a president who ran on a platform of not starting wars?
The important thing to remember here is that, despite what Trump says, Maduro was not taken out because of his ties to drug dealing (most of the drugs from Venezuela go to Europe instead of the US), he was taken out to give the US access to Venezuela's massive oil reserves. Although one other reason is that Secretary of State Marco Rubio may see removing Maduro as a stepping stone towards eventually overthrowing the Communist government of Cuba, an ally of Venezuela. Also, Homeland Security Advisor and raging xenophobe Stephen Miller reportedly sees a war with Venezuela as an excuse to use the 18th century law, the Alien Enemies Act, a way to legally deport hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans currently living in the US. So perhaps it's no surprise that Trump wanted this attack, as it allowed him to look tough on drugs, Communism and immigration while also gaining access to more oil for American oil companies, all at once
Look, now that the die is cast, I hope that everything goes the way that Trump says it will; that an orderly transition to a democratically elected leadership takes place without the need for American troops to occupy the country. But I don't think it's likely. Just how bad this all turns out remains to be seen.
