Last Saturday, January 3rd, the U.S. military captured Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro and his wife from their home. “Operation Absolute Resolve” was carried out after months of discrete, undercover information gathering on Maduro from inside Venezuela. Maduro was then flown to a non-disclosed location in the U.S. until arriving at a Manhattan Federal Court two days later where he pleaded not guilty for drug trafficking and terrorism charges.
After his capture, Venezuelans were seen throughout the streets cheering and waving flags, celebrating the hopeful end of their country’s dictatorship. While Maduro’s removal and regime change were positive and effective moves by President Trump, some may also perceive it as an unnecessary and risky choice. First, there is an issue of Checks and Balances, a fundamental system to ensure that each branch’s procedures do not exceed the amount of power they are given. When giving the command to attack Venezuela, Trump did not get congressional approval for the strike and kidnapping. While other Presidents of the past have enacted military force without gaining congressional approval, it is still important to note that the current President is not afraid to exceed his given executive power when it comes to foreign affairs.
Additionally, during interviews last Sunday, Trump hinted towards getting involved in more South American governments. Comments concerning Colombia and Cuba were made by President Trump, stating that Cuba is “likely to fall” and when asked if there will be an operation by the U.S. to force a regime change in Colombia, Trump responded with,”Sounds good to me”. Trump also stated that “Colombia is very sick, too. Run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he’s not going to be doing it for very long, let me tell you.”.
Alarming social media posts also hint towards increased involvement in other national governments. In a White House social media post, President Trump said that there will be “no more oil or money going to Cuba” and that he strongly encourages Cuba to make a deal before “it’s too late”. Additionally, a social media post from the official State Department depicted an image of Donald Trump with the words “This is our hemisphere” in all caps.
After not so subtle hints of potential U.S. involvement in South American governments, threatening social media posts, and even Trump’s consistent claim for Greenland for “national security purposes”, when will it end? When will the United States government realize that intimidating allies and excessive foreign involvement has more risks than rewards?
