Is Venezuela Next in Trump's Crosshair?

The Trump administration has continued this country’s empirical interference with a major naval deployment in the Caribbean Sea, including a series of air strikes on Venezuelan boats that have killed at least 17 people. I wrote a blog on this not long ago. Washington claims its attacks are part of an offensive against Latin American drug cartels who are smuggling cocaine and fentanyl into the US. In my previous blog, I asked what happened to due process, something this administration seems to like only for itself, but not others.

So what is Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro’s, reaction to this. Allegedly he is ready to declare a state of emergency in the event of a US military attack on Venezuela, according to the country’s vice-president, Delcy Rodriguez. She warned of “catastrophic” consequences if such an onslaught materializes. Really? What can they do? I suppose there’s the possibility of some illegal immigrant sleeper cells in the country. Hence, we can’t be totally oblivious to terrorist threats.

She alleged the US’s campaign was not about stopping drugs, but rather seizing the natural resources of the country, which has the largest proven oil reserves on earth. Considering Trump wants to buy/annex Greenland, it’s not hard to see this as a truth.

“[The US] has only one purpose and objective: the reserves of oil, gas, gold, minerals [and] the biological wealth that Venezuela has – and which they need for this new era in which the US government declares war on the entire planet,” said Rodríguez. She also accused US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, who she called “the Lord of War,” of warmongering. I’ve been accusing our military industrial complex of warmongering for decades. Heaven forbid we don’t interfere in some war, somewhere, to keep the dollars flowing in the name of “national security”.

The state of emergency would immediately give Maduro special powers to mobilize the armed forces, to seal the country’s borders and to place the military in charge of key infrastructure. “We will never handover our homeland – never!” she vowed. Newsflash, Delcy! Venezuela would not come anywhere close to the success that little David had against Goliath.

Trump’s deadly strikes – which I oppose, and which legal experts and Latin American leaders have denounced as unlawful killings – have left some thinking further escalation is in the cards. NBC News recently reported that US military officials were drawing up options to target drug traffickers inside Venezuela using drones. This would be an act of war, which only Congress can approve. Unfortunately, that legality was thrown out the window decades ago. Congress has been shirking their duties in increasing amounts since the turn of the millennia.

The one constant in politics, as well as in life, is the more things change the more they stay the same. Who isn’t for national security? Who isn’t for eliminating unnecessary drug usage? Sadly, the psychology of those issues is abused by governments around the world as an excuse to do whatever they want, to expand domination, and trounce on liberties and self-rule.

Source used: the Guardian