Venezuela : the fool, the oil, and the tyrant

By Moktar Gaouad*

What on earth drove Donald Trump to grab the Venezuelan presidential couple by the collar and forcibly bring them to the United States, while expelling thousands of Latin American nationals? This is certainly not what one would call “chosen immigration.” Trump is not only impulsive but also shows an obsessive character. He has constantly spoken about Venezuela. He has repeatedly told us how much he despises its leader, Nicolás Maduro, following this logic: Trump is strong with the weak and weak with the strong. He hugged Kim Jong Un, the North Korean dictator, a leader far more bloodthirsty than Chavez’s successor. He admires Vladimir Putin, the invader of Ukraine, and surrounds himself with zealots who perform the Nazi salute. He favors virility and often mocks women. Maduro is weak because he has made his country weak. I bet the U.S. president would not do the same with neighboring Colombia, which has a stronger military and a far more vocal political class.

And as in the time of the American conquests, the pursuit of wealth justified all excesses

Like a predator thirsty for oil, in a country that is an endless hole for petroleum, Trump has not hidden his true intentions. He wants to seize Venezuelan oil. It is not true that drug trafficking from Venezuela is the deadliest for Americans; what kills them most is fentanyl coming from China via Mexico. Following Trumpian logic, the real “trafficker” killing Americans would be Xi Jinping. Why not bomb Beijing and go after the leader residing in the Zhongnanhai complex? As in the Old West, Trump wants to capture the easiest prey—those weaker than himself. And as in the time of American conquests, the pursuit of wealth justified all excesses.

Tyrant Maduro has been deposed, in violation of all international law. By acting in this way in Venezuela, the U.S. administration disregarded not only international law governing relations between states, but also U.S. legislation. To enter or declare war, the president is constitutionally required to obtain Congress’s authorization. This was not done. Trump does not care. Once again, weak senators will not stop him.

The frantic posturing and belly-dancing that some European leaders perform for the sole spectator Trump says a lot about Europe’s impotence

What about the reactions across the Atlantic, particularly in Europe? Clearly, France approves the U.S. operation to depose Maduro, as does Italy. Spain offers its services for mediation. Condemnations were moderate or even absent. Trump could not care less about European leaders, whom his administration considers weak. The frantic posturing and belly-dancing that some European leaders perform for the sole spectator Trump says a lot about Europe’s impotence. Never again will they be able to tell Putin to respect international law. Never again will they raise their voice in front of expansionist leaders. A new attitude seems to emerge, advised by a former French prime minister. Strangely, Gabriel Attal suggests Europeans should take strength and, no more nor less, play the same dangerous game now in place in this global disorder: defending their interests while disregarding international law. Wisdom, responsibility, and vision appear to be the latest collateral victims of Trumpism. Very concerning.

*Former editor-in-chief at France24 and TV5, Moktar Gaouad has lived in the United States since 2014. He observes and comments on U.S. history and current affairs for a French-speaking audience.