TRUMP UNWISELY STIRS FIRES OF REVOLT IN VENEZUELA

PRESIDENT TRUMP TRIES BUSH-ERA STYLE REGIME CHANGE IN VENEZUELA

LIKE BUSH JR, HE IS MAKING A GRAVE MISTAKE

Almost alone among the world’s nations the Trump administration (joined by a few US-sycophant-nations such as Canada,  Brazil) has notified the world that it supports a junior Venezuelan politician who claims to be “President of Venezuela”.  This person—head of the opposition party in the national assembly— Juan Guaido  claims— on little authority other  than his own — that he is the “legitimate” President.   (His claims are based on  rumors and allegations that the recent elections were “rigged”).  However, it is the recently (May 2018)  re-elected President Maduro the vast majority of the rest of the world acknowledges, as the  winner and legitimately elected president.   President Maduro controls the military, the executive establishment and the Supreme Court and vast swathes of the population.  Yes the economy is in tatters, but our support of Guaido is a violation of common sense as well as existing international protocols.  The open support of the USA only encourages instability and will act to push the nation into civil war. . 

I wonder how would Mr. Trump feel if Mrs. Nancy Pelosi,  head of the “ democratically elected” House of Representatives, decided that the 2016 elections were “illegal or rigged”” and claimed  Mr. Trump was not “legitimate”. She then  decided to claim herself as “President Pelosi”.  That is analogous to what Guaido did in Venezuela.  Imagine that elements of the US population might  accept such a claim...but even in the USA such behavior  would lead to political chaos and massive civil violence.  That is what we are about to experience in Venezuela if Mr. Trump continues to stir the fire of revolt as he seems to be doing.  

Perhaps Trump should be reminded of the Obama Administration’s thoughtless involvement in the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime in Libya—and the resulting violence, bloodshed and massive displacement of people which caused  millions of immigrants to journey across the Mediterranean into Europe.  That failed Obama policy resulted in massive unrest and political upheaval in the EU and especially Germany where social ad politcal reverberatioins continue even today.  A million unhappy and unwanted Moslems now reside in Mrs. Merkel’s Germany as a result of that Obama and Clinton blunder.  Does Mr. Turmp what to repeat that stupidity in the Western Hemisphere?  

President Trump has-like “the kid” Bush, seems to have fallen under the spell of his war-hawk advisors.  Has he forgotten that he was elected to put America first—and give up Bush -Obama-Clinton foreign adventurism, and costly bloody involvement in the internal political affairs of nations which are of no threat to us and for which we are not responsible?    In fact his foolhardy (secret and not so secret)  intervention against the socialist Maduro regime is unlikely to improve anything and more likely to create unfavorable dangerous and costly circumstances which can only exacerbate the massive problems we already face on our southern border. 

What is he thinking?  Does he believe that Venezuelans do not have the right to decide for themselves who their leadership should be?  No I guess he thinks they need a Yankee in far away DC to decide what form of government is best for them. 

President Trump has been persuing a poorly considered Venezuela  policy for the last two years.  That policy has  been to destabilize Venezuela, to cut off needed domestic and industrial supplies, to place sanctions on the struggling Maduro administration, and scheming with the CIA to undermine its government. To what aim?  To help create a failed state in South America?. I guess the string of Bush-generated festering chaotic failed states in the ME (Libya, Syria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq, etc, etc.) were not enough for the rabid militarists in the DC establishment who have inveigled themselves into the Trump administration.

What can we expect from such a policy?  More bloodshed.  More displaced persons?  More spending of US tax dollars that serves no interests or the needs of the vast majority of Americans.  More poor uneducated, alien immigrants streaming across our southern border?  

Let’s hope President Trump steps back from the brink of stupidity on Venezuela. We should emulate Mexico, and all the other South American nations which have put forth a position of neutrality regarding the internal affairs of Venezuela.  Leave those to the people who live there.  Self determination is one of our core belief’s.  Why have we ignored it for Venezuela?  

Our best interests lie rather than destabilizing nations and creating chaos around the world, but in helping our neighbors to the south (and elsewhere)—move toward political stability, economic security and growth rather than working to bring them to their knees.