Opinion: Trump, Venezuela, China, and many long-term problems coming
The Trump administration’s strike on Venezuela has given the US a new bog in which to get bogged down. Whatever you may think of Maduro’s legitimacy or a 2020 indictment against him in New York, this was a strike on a sovereign nation.
The legality of this action is dubious at best. The US is not at war with Venezuela, but it effectively committed an act of war. Given Trump’s comments about Canada, Greenland, and other global extremely sore points, nobody is impressed.
Trump now says the US will “run” Venezuela and exploit its oil reserves. This approach seems to indicate that the administration seriously thinks it can run another country while totally, almost fatally, mismanaging its own. There are 28 million people in Venezuela, with an estimated 6.8 million expatriates. How will this nation be “run”? Specifically, by whom, under what agenda?
Simultaneously, yet another collision course with China is in process. The US sanctioned four Chinese tankers earlier this week. A Chinese delegation was in Venezuela and had met with Maduro prior to the US attack and is still there. China’s presence in the oil market alone, let alone its very large South American trade ties, should be enough of a caveat to indicate the downside of the US move. China cannot ignore this.
US intervention in Latin and South America has a truly unique record of abject 100% total failure. Regime changes in particular have been catastrophic for the countries affected and totally unproductive for the US. This is certain to be another disaster.
That’s the good news.
The less good news is that the US has taken on yet another open-ended commitment to involvement in yet another continent. The military cost alone is staggering.
The expenditure on these fantasies is likely to be disastrous. The US is effectively broke. Trade revenue is generating false and in fact ridiculous revenue numbers through tariffs. The tariffs are effectively shrinking trade and domestic commerce exponentially.
Add to this building a theme park in Gaza on the ruins of people’s homes.
Add a crusade in Nigeria.
Add Taiwan.
Add a significant risk of potential conflict with Iran.
Add antagonizing NATO and destroying US credibility in futile “negotiations” about Ukraine and open-ended, incredibly vague, commitments there as well.
Add antagonizing Canada and Mexico to the extent of major trade and diplomatic shifts away from the US.
Looking great, isn’t it?
Now add America’s hellish, crashing domestic economy, healthcare, and cost of living.
Now add the fact that Trump will be gone, one way or another, in a very short, if unsightly, time frame. America will be stuck with this situation for years to come.
Pretty high price and long sentence for pandering to a lame-ass fruit fly with the life expectancy of a Dorito, isn’t it?
Never mind the clumsy media-visible positioning.
The reality is pure, expensive, chaos.
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Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this Op-Ed are those of the author. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of the Digital Journal or its members.
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Opinion: Trump, Venezuela, China, and many long-term problems coming
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