I don't really know what to say at this point.
As far as the legality of what we did, I don't see a problem with it (at least I don't think so). The United States should be able to steamroll some random guy in Grenada or Venezuela if we feel like he's a bad actor. International law and the ICC is a bad joke and shouldn't constrain our behavior. Domestically, the War Powers resolution should allow the executive to do something like this.
The problem is, why are we doing this? And who is "we"? I have never seen convincing evidence that removing Maduro will reduce the flow of drugs into the US, or that it will remove communism from the country. As far as the oil, if Exxon Mobil or whoever is able to drill in Venezuelan oilfields now, that's great for them, but how does it benefit the rest of us? For some reason, I don't think Americans will get anything out of this.
The drug angle is especially stupid because Trump just pardoned another South American head of state (Juan Hernandez) who is on tape wanting to "shove cocaine up the noses of gringos."
The only country that tangibly benefits, at this point, is Israel, given that Venezuela has been a known and acknowledged thorn in their side for years. It's no surprise that the next presidential hopeful Maria Machado will not shut up about how many things she's ready to do for them.
Some people are alleging that China and Russia were establishing a foothold in our backyard with Venezuela. They do indeed supply some oil to China (2-5% of China's supply) but I haven't heard of any other involvement, certainly nothing substantial enough to warrant regime change.
I also have a problem with the example this is setting globally. We are going to charge a foreign head of state with possession of machine guns? So when Germany brings an American citizen up on charges for violating their hate speech laws are we going to pretend we're better than that? Are we still going to pretend that Russia invading Ukraine was unjustified?
If Maduro was repeatedly aggressing on the US and uniting himself with China/Russia, I don't think I have a problem with this. But I just don't see it.
Speaking of Taiwanese chips.
Yup, and they'll be looking to protect themselves. Look to more countries developing nuclear weapons or getting closer ties to China. Rightly so.
Dude, it's literally three days ago. I assume that you would have been saying the same when Americans took Baghdad. "SEE, this isn't going to be a decades-long Vietnam, because decades have not passed yet".
What?
The military intervention in Venezuela is already finished. There are still US Naval assets in the ocean outside Venezuelan waters, but no US boots on the ground in the country. All the morons making the argument that this is another Iraq or Vietnam have rotten brains leaking out of their ears.
If other Latin American leaders take this as a queue to get closer to China, Trump can and will do the same thing to them. That was the whole point of this operation: it was a warning shot. He may not be able or even need to engage in full-scale military intervention to effect "regime change," but he can absolutely make sure that the individual leaders know there will be personal consequences for them. Maduro knew he was being targeted. He beefed up his security. He dared Trump to go get him. He let with Chinese envoys hours before he was taken. It didn't save him.
This action was governed by the only international law that has ever applied: might makes right. The liberal rules-based order was only ever in place for as long as the US chose to enforce it, and all the while American leaders let China, Russia and every other rival routinely break those laws without retaliating. And now everyone knows they won't anymore.
You don't know that. And Trump says the exact opposite. He's talking about boots on the ground, about running Venezuela, and about future strikes.
This is normally said by the kind of person who supported Iraq, Vietnam, Venezuela and every single war in between. It only takes them 20 years to admit that they were wrong, if they ever do.
This is stupid and delusional.
I guess the US should invade Canada, expel all of you to Somalia and annex your territory then.
I know Canadians are generally bootlickers, but this is just embarrassing.
If Trump wants to come into Ottawa in the middle of the night and yoink Carney, I'd be okay with that.
Stop comparing this to Iraq and Afghanistan and Vietnam. It is nothing like any of those, and to say it is is delusional. You had exactly this same meltdown when Trump attacked Syria, and exactly the same meltdown when he did it to Iran, and both of those were over and done before you stopped frothing at the mouth about them. You're the one who's having trouble admitting you were wrong. You were wrong then, and you're still wrong.
No, you said might makes right. Do the Americans have the power to come in and throw you into the ocean and settle your country, or not?
Don't you EVER bring up the wars that I previously supported. That's unfair! We should only ever talk about the wars that I'm presently supporting that haven't turned out to be complete catastrophes... yet.
And what great results those had, to bring to power in Syria an ISIS head-chopper. In Iran, your Israeli buddies want to get the war started up yet again. It's no wonder neocons never want to get into the specifics of the results of their previous maladventures.
I was right then, and I'm right now. Not an achievement, as anyone with two brain cells would figure out not to support neocon wars (unfortunately, I didn't have two braincells to spare, so I supported the Libya intervention). And you were wrong about every single war that you supported, which is all of them.
Trump tampered with Canadian elections last spring with all his 51st state BS to make sure Mark Carney, Trudeau 2.0, would get installed when our long faggotry nightmare decade was about to end.
So for whatever reason, Carney is Trump’s man instead of Zionist Millhouse doppelganger Liberal-in-a-blue-tie Pierre Poilievre (colors are reversed in Leafland, Red = Liberal, Blue = Conservative).
Exactly. Mutually assured destruction is the only way a country can reliably ensure their own continued existence these days.