AMERICAN Imperialism under President Donald Trump again demonstrated it is a country above international law and respect for the rights and integrity of other sovereign states by invading Venezuela without approval from the US Congress or the United Nations Security Council.
In a statement on January 3, Saturday (US time), Trump boasted of America’s latest criminal act with the announcement that US ‘Delta Force’ even managed to kidnap President Nicolas Maduro and his common law wife, Cilia Flores, and flew them immediately to New York where Maduro is expected to be tried by an American Kangaroo Court on trump-up drug charges.
Trump has always been salivating to destroy Venezuela since his first administration (2016-2020) so it can take possession of its vast oil reserves— the largest in the world at 303 billion barrels with an estimated value of more than $17 trillion– an intention he made known before and after the US violent regime change operation.
Only last December 20, Trump dropped all pretense that he wants to overthrow the Venezuelan government for its involvement in drug trafficking and illegal migration to the United States.
At a press conference last December 20 widely reported by the global media, Trump said his real intention is get back the oil fields of US oil companies that he claimed was “stolen” by Venezuela when they were nationalized during the presidency of Hugo Chavez (1999 to 2013).
Current Venezuela Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who has assumed the presidency based on the rules of succession under the country’s Constitution, “really has no choice” Trump warned, but to follow US dictates.
“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies—the biggest anywhere in the world—go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country,” Trump announced.
Full of arrogance, Trump says US aggression against Venezuela even “superseded” America’s 1823 ‘Monroe Doctrine’ whereby the United States announced it has exclusive rights in running the affairs of the entire Western Hemisphere—North, Central and South America and the Caribbean.
He appears to like the invasion being described as the implementation of the ‘Donroe Doctrine’ (a play on his first name). “American domination of the Western Hemisphere will never be questioned again,” he gloated.
Implications
Ironically, one of the reasons that prompted the invasion, US accusation that Maduro is tolerating illegal migration to the US mainland, may well be the result with Venezuela now in chaos and the threat of insurgency against US occupying forces a looming possibility.
The resulting violence and political and economic instability could result to the mass migration northward, towards the US mainland, of ordinary Venezuelan simply wanting to escape being caught in the middle of a conflict that US Imperialism created.
The invasion also convinced the world, especially countries in the Global South that the United States and its satellites stooges such as the EU and Israel are a threat to global peace and stability.
The invasion also exposes the hypocrisy and falsity of the US’ much-touted ‘rules-based-order’ as it has become clear that it means only the strong always make the rules.