The United States of America is clearly massing forces in the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and other strategic locations. What we are doing looks a lot like what we did before we liberated Kwait and again when we invaded Iraq. Our military presence is becoming sufficient to mount an invasion of Venezuela if President Trump elects to do so.
Anyone who follows the news is aware of the reasons why some people think deposing the communist dictator Nicolás Maduro Moros necessary. Salient among them are that he is a criminal and a thug who is heavily involved with the cartels and Iranian-backed terrorist organizations. He is deeply implicated in smuggling deadly drugs into the United States, facilitating the illegal migration of criminal gang members, and with trafficking in human beings.
To stay in power, Mr. Maduro has released criminals from prison and used them to coerce the Venezuelan people who oppose him into submission. Those who oppose Maduro have often had to flee the country. To support his rule, he has allowed China, Russia, Iran, and Cuba to use his country as a base to expand their influence in the region. [1]
It seems clear that the actions of the Maduro regime threaten the safety and security of the peoples of the United States and other countries in the Western Hemisphere. The question is, then, how far are we willing to go to end that threat?
Americans are generally a peace-loving people. We do not want war unless it is forced upon us to defend ourselves. In principle, I agree with President Dewight Eisenhauer:
If we begin, we must be willing to see it through – to resolve the matter in our favor no matter how long it takes. Too many times, we have entered into conflicts on foreign soil with popular opinion in favor of it, only to see support for the war effort dwindle over time. Our people favor swift victories, and do not want to commit our human and financial resources to wars that drag on and on without resolution. Our enemies see this as a weakness, and they exploit it.
My support of military action within Venezuela is, therefore, subject to the following conditions:
In the past, I have repeatedly said that I strongly oppose putting the lives of our troops at risk unless we are willing to do whatever it takes to win. This includes using weapons systems that will devastate the enemy. Our opponents must not be allowed to have any safe haven; not in their own country or in any other country.
In the interest of national unity, I think President Trump must obtain the authorization of congress by a full roll call vote, not just from congressional leaders or a committee. It doesn’t matter whether he has the authority as president to do it on his own. Our government must be unified in support of military action. Not one American should die in Venezuela without the full support of our government. It also means that, at least in this one case, the members of congress must set partisan politics aside and vote their conscience.
When I was 14 years old, we lived (barely) through the Cuban Missile Crisis. Given the improvements in modern delivery systems, enemy bases in Venezuela would pose an even greater threat. In truth, the American people have not been made fully aware of the nature and extent of this peril, and it must be fully disclosed to the congress and the people in any discussion of our nation’s alternatives in this situation.
Everyone must understand that regime change is not the only goal of our military action. We need to stop the Russians, Chinese, Cubans, and Iranians from using Venezuela as a base of operations to spread their influence in the Western Hemisphere. In other words we need to kick them out. The whole thing will be a wasted effort if we do not.
Venezuela is training its military to fight an asymmetrical, guerilla-type war of resistance to a US military incursion. Much of the country is heavily forested. Most of the population is concentrated in its coastal cities. The topography is varied, and it includes agricultural lowlands and mountainous terrain – all of which lends itself to the same kind of fight we had in Vietnam.
The Venezuelan people would like to be rid of Maduro, but they were not willing to accept US offers of help from Vice President Pence, during the previous Trump Presidency. Things may be different now, but we should not depend on the Venezuelans to welcome us as liberators. We should also expect to be criticized and condemned by the rest of the world.
In short, I think we will have a lot tougher time of it than we expect if we invade. I think a blockade (also an act of war), support of the anti-Maduro resistance movement, stringent economic sanctions, and clandestine, covert operations offer alternatives that should receive full consideration.
