I was disappointed but not particularly surprised by the reaction of the editors of the Wall Street Journal to President Trump’s attack on Venezuela and removal of its president:
Mr. Trump said Mr. Maduro and his wife were headed to New York, where they will face trial for narco-trafficking. But Mr. Maduro’s damage goes well beyond the drug trade. His socialist and authoritarian policies burdened the region with millions of refugees. He flooded the U.S. with migrants in an effort to sow political discord.
The dictator was also part of the axis of U.S. adversaries that includes Russia, China, Cuba and Iran. All were helping to keep Mr. Maduro in power. His capture is a demonstration of Mr. Trump’s declaration to keep America’s enemies from spreading chaos in the Western Hemisphere. It’s the “Trump corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine.
All of this makes the military action justified, despite cries from the left that it is illegal under international law.
I have no idea how they arrive at that conclusion. They certainly can’t mean “legally justified”. Had President Biden acted immediately to remove Maduro there would have been a figleaf of legality but under the circumstances there is none. That Maduro is vile is not a legal justification.
I was similarly disappointed by the editors’ of the Washington Post’s phlegmatic reaction:
In my opinion what should happen next is that President Trump should be impeached for abuse of power and turned over to the International Criminal Court. It would be an excellent opportunity for the Congress to assume its responsibilities. I am under no illusions. That will not happen.
What I think will happen is clumsy attempts at ruling Venezuela eventually followed by an even clumsier turnover of power to a Venezuelan who won’t last long but will be replaced by another Bolivarian dictator. Concurrently with that American oil companies will do their level best to loot Venezuela of its oil. All of the foregoing will further diminish the U. S.’s repute in the Western Hemisphere and probably the world.
So, what will happen next?
“In my opinion what should happen next is that President Trump should be impeached for abuse of power and turned over to the International Criminal Court.”
I disagree. There are multiple reasons I disagree with this statement. First, as Commander in Chief, I think he acted within the War Powers Act which gives him 48 hours to notify Congress (he did). I think the case for national emergency was weak, but so have a lot of government actions both in the Trump and prior administrations.
How was this that much different than Reagan invading Grenada, Bush invading Panama, or Obama’s 563 drone attacks? I would add Reagan bombing Libya to take out their leader to this list. This action was far less deadly than any of these.
Second, we don’t turn our leaders over to the ICC. Period. I don’t care if it is a leader I support or oppose for an action I support or oppose. In my opinion, that would be a direct attack on our national sovereignty. We can take care of our own justice.
I do share your concern with what comes next. In this case, the Venezuelan people had voted remove Maduro, but he simply ignored the vote. We should work to see there is a quick election.
I also would not use the term “loot” to describe the oil companies going to Venezuela. The oil companies had their assets stolen by the Venezuelan government in violation of their contracts. Calling it looting is a lot like the line from the Princess bride: “You are trying to steal what I have rightfully stolen.” They will need to invest billions to get their fields working again. Investing is quite different than looting.
I do have some hope that it can turn out well. Both Panama and Grenada are functioning democratic republics today after our invasions. This one doesn’t even qualify as an invasion.
Based on past experience IMO the Venezuelan people are likely to think of any profitable investing or oil extraction by American oil companies as looting by American companies. That’s why I use the word.
As I’ve said the signs that Maduro is bad are obvious but the signs that the Venezuelan people have decided that people who promise what Chavez did are bad are not that great.
I share your concern that Venezuela could put Chavistas back in power, but that is not a foregone conclusion.
Morgan Housel talks about how difficult it is to get people to change the mind on political topics. The exception is when people personally experience suffering (i.e. the American population greatly changed political alliances in the Great Depression). The Venezuelan people experienced this with Maduro. The average Venezuelan lost 19 pounds in one year. Their incomes and lifestyles have plummeted. That does rewire some brains.