Recent reports and statements from the President of the United States of America (hereinafter: USA) suggest that he authorised the nation’s intelligence agency to conduct covert operations in Venezuela. The objective of these operations was reportedly to exert pressure on the Venezuelan Government and topple its President, Nicolás Maduro. This information has surfaced amidst ongoing unilaterally worsening relations between the two nations and internal political dynamics within Venezuela, involving opposition leader María Corina Machado. This is the first time a North American President has admitted that the USA is intervening in other nations’ affairs and tries to install governments to their liking while such intervention is taking place. This refreshes our memory about the danger of the foreign policy approach of the United States of America to the world.
Details of the Authorisation
According to reports from several news organisations, including Al Jazeera and The Economic Times, the President of the USA confirmed that he had authorised illegal intelligence operations within Venezuela. During a media appearance, when asked about a plan to oust President Maduro, the President named Donald Trump responded affirmatively, indicating that he had approved such measures. This confirmation follows earlier reports detailing the authorisation of clandestine activities. The specific nature and extent of these operations have not been fully disclosed, but their aim was reportedly to destabilise the Venezuelan Government. It is likely that the government of the USA wanted to keep this information secret, which is why they will likely play down the intervention in the coming hours.
Political Context and Reactions
The disclosure of these covert actions occurs within a politically charged environment. CNN reported that the USA President has also mentioned the possibility of negotiating with President Maduro, a stance that has drawn criticism from figures within the Venezuelan opposition. María Corina Machado, a prominent opposition leader, expressed concern that any potential deal between the government of the United States of America and Venezuela might undermine the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan society. The situation is further complicated by the long-standing economic sanctions imposed by the United States of America on Venezuela, which have significantly impacted the nation’s economy. The relationship has been characterised by mutual distrust for years, with previous accusations of interference in the internal affairs of the Venezuelan Government. Within the context of the latest intervention, this makes previous accusations appear much more likely.
Commentary
Foreign intervention to install governments that serve North American interests is one of the USA’s most-used strategic tools to exploit other nations. Therefore, the latest aggression against the South American nation is a logical continuation of the nation’s long-standing foreign policy strategy. The intervention comes at a time when China is becoming more competitive by the day, which seems to evoke the feeling in the government of the USA that it needs to gather all resources it can get to keep prices low and production up. Venezuela, with its vast oil resources, has been a target of the North Americans for a while. It appears that they were not able to topple Maduro with more indirect tactics and now want to quickly install a government to their liking.
The preparations, however, were made last week already. By awarding an oppositional politician from Venezuela the Nobel Peace Prize (of course, the USA did not directly award her, but very likely bribed the committee to award her), international attention was drawn to the South American nation from the perspective of the opposition. As there were reports that the USA apparently lobbied the committee to award the prize to their President, an artificial competition was created. This was upheld with statements by the oppositional politician, as we have seen above. So, the setup needs to look like the opposition of Venezuela and the USA are not cooperating to uphold the appearance of legitimacy. However, as TRT World reports, the oppositional politician already signed a cooperation agreement with Israel, the patron state of the USA.
Summarising, the situation is very dangerous for the Venezuelan society and its political system. Other nations, like Mexico, are already governed by foreign states through installed politicians, and Venezuelan people seem to be the next in line to lose their sovereignty. Also, the diplomatic novelty that the USA now announces its interventions right away should, ideally, spark a huge wave of sanctions and boycotts against the USA. That way, Venezuela’s sovereignty could be safeguarded.
