Did Donald Trump order an attack on Venezuela, whisking away its president and wife to New York to face trial and leaving uncertainty and turmoil behind, because he wanted to reinstate democracy there?
Not at all. If he really was, he would have his hands full fighting battles all over the world, including Saudi Arabia and the other Arab sheikhdoms, which control domains with hundreds of billions of barrels of oil and where democratic elections have never been held.
At a press conference following the unprecedented attack, it became clear what he was aiming at - the control of all the oil and gas resources of Venezuela, with proven reserves of over 300 billion barrels – 20 percent of the world’s, and exceeding that of Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest producer.
The New York Times reported: “More than 150 US aircraft were dispatched to knock out air defences, so that military helicopters could deliver the Special Operations forces who assaulted Mr (Nicolas) Maduro’s compound at 2am local time, US officials said. The whole operation took two hours and 20 minutes.
The US will run Venezuela
“Hours after the raid, Trump said at a news conference the United States would ‘run the country’ until a ‘safe, proper and judicious transition’ of power could be arranged, raising the prospect of an open-ended military commitment. He did not say whether US forces would occupy the country, although he added he was not afraid of ‘boots on the ground’.”
The New York Times further reported that the US has accepted having Maduro’s vice-president, Delcy Rodriguez, as interim leader. Trump said she would hold power as long as she “does what we want”.
In a later report, when asked what he needed from Rodriguez, it quoted Trump: “We need total access. We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country.” How totally draconian its annexation!
That attack and the subsequent conditions mark stark, naked aggression against a helpless, defenceless nation which has resources but is on the wrong side.
The US wants a more friendly ruler at the top who will allow US companies to exploit the oil wealth. It’s about control of a strategic resource - period. Everything else is made up.
Who next?
That has left the world wondering who will be the next target of US military imperialism - Cuba, Brazil, Greenland? Trump has already threatened Colombia. No one is likely to be safe if this continues. It has the potential to pull nuclear powers into the fray if things become too pressing.
Remember, Trump wanted Greenland and had demanded access to strategic minerals in Ukraine in return for continued help for that country in the war against Russia. Now, Denmark, which Trump had eyes on, is getting worried.
Its Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, has urged Trump to stop threatening to take over Greenland after the president said the US “absolutely” needs the territory, AFP reported.
She said on Sunday, “It makes absolutely no sense to talk about the US needing to take over Greenland. The US has no right to annex any of the three countries in the Danish kingdom.”
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday hours after Frederiksen’s remarks, Trump doubled down on his claim that Greenland should become part of the US.
“We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it,” Trump told reporters when asked about the issue, according to AFP.
Encouraged by the Venezuelan attack, Trump is looking to take over other territories it considers strategic. In the process, he has become a peril to the entire world. He took outrageous measures against US citizens, moving the National Guard to major cities to control demonstrations.
He is not just a menace to the US but to the entire world with his brand of threats, violence and now outright use of power and virtual annexation. He risks drawing other superpowers into the conflict if he expands his ambitions, which seem to have no limits.
While some countries, including Malaysia, have expressed outrage at what the US has done, others need to follow suit to put pressure on the US and to show that the world is truly upset about what the US is doing. The reactions from the UK and the EU in particular have been muted at best.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s statement was one of the few that was suitably courageous and strong. Calling on the US to release Maduro and his wife, he said their capture by the US military was a clear violation of international law. He is absolutely right.
"Whatever may be the reasons, the forcible removal of a sitting head of government through external action sets a dangerous precedent.
"It erodes fundamental restraints on the use of power between states and weakens the legal framework that underpins international order,” he said in a statement.
Sets a bad example
The US action also gives leeway to other superpowers to flex their muscles and make some moves. The US, for instance, can say very little if China feels that it wants to bring Taiwan back into its fold after the latter’s 75 years of independence.
As in many other decisions, Trump is acting irrationally and is pushing the boundaries of acceptable international behaviour and making his own rules because of the power that he has. His actions are provocative to say the least and need pushback.
In the longer term, it will be the US people, many of whom are suffering under very Third World-like oppression, who will be able to check his excesses. But this depends very much on a judiciary which may have been compromised by previous Republican appointments, and a free and fair election.
In the meantime, not just the US but the whole world is being held to ransom (remember the tariff debacles), and its economic and geopolitical order is under threat from a convicted felon who rules because of presidential immunity. He is a sexual predator to boot.
That’s a stark reminder of what can happen when the wrong person ascends to a position of power. The last time that happened, the world watched impotently when one megalomaniac marched across borders in Europe.
Then the world fought bitterly for five years to overthrow him and bring him to account. In our blithe indifference, we have forgotten the lessons of the past - many countries simply lack the courage to even speak up against this outrage and bullying. - Mkini
P GUNASEGARAM likes this saying attributed to George Santayana: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
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