Just over one month after his National Security Strategy promised to “reassert and…restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere,” President Donald Trump made good on this commitment with a daring military raid to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in the early hours of Saturday morning. Trump told the American public later that day that the United States would “run” Venezuela and its oil industry for the foreseeable future.
The operation has been widely praised by Trump’s supporters. Even traditionally anti-interventionist voices found something to like, viewing the use of American military power close to home as a significant improvement over decades spent spilling blood and treasure in faraway lands and justified given that Latin America falls in the traditional U.S. sphere of influence.
But even those enthusiastic about Trump’s readiness to prioritize challenges in the Western Hemisphere should have concerns about U.S. military action in Venezuela and the imperialistic agenda Trump laid out for the region in its aftermath.
Author
