United States President Donald Trump announced on Saturday morning that his country’s forces had bombed Venezuela and captured the South American nation’s president, Nicolas Maduro, and First Lady Cilia Flores in a dramatic overnight military attack that followed months of rising tensions.
Ahead of a news conference held at his Mar-a-Lago, Florida, residence later in the day, Trump posted a photograph he said showed Maduro on board the US warship USS Iwo Jima.
The image, posted on Trump’s Truth Social account, appeared to show Maduro in a grey tracksuit with a black band covering his eyes and a water bottle in his hand. At the news conference, Trump said the US would “run the country” until a “judicious” transition of government could be made.
Well, that was the quickest regime change I’ve ever heard of, and while I’m surprised Maduro was removed so fast, I’m deeply wary of the celebration going on from the Right. After all, this intervention was sold to the public as a strike against drug cartels, yet we’ve seen little convincing proof to support that claim. Plus history gives plenty of reason for caution: from Iraq to Libya to Afghanistan, Washington has repeatedly ignored the most important question, what comes next? Because he answer is usually years of chaos and long-term instability following an invasion. So while one can only hope Venezuela and the region fare better, I’m not optimistic that a stable democracy can be built there anytime soon. Lastly, any liberal or Trump critic complaining about Trump acting without congressional approval is a hypocrite if they stayed silent when Obama and Biden bombed opposition forces without Congress. It’s also striking to see many Venezuelans dancing in the streets after Maduro (up until Trump took office labeled a “dictator” by Democrats) was captured.
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