Tragedy and farce: On the U.S. and Venezuela
Trump’s illegal Venezuela strikes constitute the latest act of U.S. imperialism
Tragedy has followed every act of imperialism by the U.S., but under President Donald Trump, the consequences have also taken on a farcical character, typical of the Theatre of the Absurd. In 2003, the invasion of Iraq, on false premises to depose a dictator and “export” democracy, instead rendered the nation asunder, birthed outfits such as ISIS, and destabilised West Asia. The same playbook was used later in north Africa. In 2026, the world is witness to another tragedy that is also a farce: a repeat of the imperial script in Venezuela, orchestrated by a Trump administration that has traded coercive diplomacy for bombing campaigns and naval blockades. The apprehension and forced exile of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is a flagrant violation of international law and also flouts Article 2 of the UN Charter. By conducting “interdictions” of oil tankers and illegally killing civilians on boats in Caribbean waters under the unproven guise of anti-narcotics operations, the U.S. has bypassed the UN Security Council to position itself as judge and executioner. This intervention is driven by a familiar calculus. The first is the resurrection of the Monroe Doctrine to re-establish U.S. hegemony in the Americas, an order that regimes such as Venezuela’s sought to upend through alternative alliances with Cuba. The second is the desire to sever Latin America’s ties with China, as the Maduro regime looked eastward for investment and oil trade. The third is the cynical drive to control Venezuela’s very large crude reserves. These resources represent a “prize” for U.S. business.
In any case, the U.S.’s claims of victory could be pyrrhic. While Maduro’s governance was authoritarian, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela retains a strong support base. The Bolivarian movement rose to tackle the rampant inequality fostered by previous U.S.-backed elite regimes. By forcibly installing a new order, the U.S. is not “liberating” the people but validating their fears of colonial looting. The hypocrisy is stark. While the Trump administration justifies Maduro’s removal by labelling him a cartel leader without public evidence, it ordered the release of the narcotics-trafficking convicted former leader of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, and helped facilitate the rise of the pro-Washington Nasry Asfura. The hope that a globalised, interdependent world would yield a stable liberal order following the Cold War has been repeatedly belied by the actions of the U.S. and Russia. Yet, by withdrawing from climate accords and escalating tariff wars, the U.S. has signalled a contempt for international norms that surpasses other egregious acts. Venezuela’s invasion is the natural, violent conclusion of this isolationist-imperialist hybrid of Trumpism. If the international community remains silent, it ratifies a world order where sovereignty exists at Washington’s pleasure.