There’s an ongoing crisis in Venezuela, as massive protests rage against Nicolas Maduro’s illegitimate government. In the middle of the crisis, President Trump has voiced support for the uprising, officially declaring his recognition of Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido as president of that nation. But what lies behind the figure of a US president declaring himself for or against a Latin American government is far more complex than what meets the eye.
On the one hand, Maduro seems to have hold on to power illegitimately, as the last elections were, in all likelihood, rigged. They were widely considered a sham election, held purely for show, in which Maduro used a deceptive turnout to give himself a second term. It’s worth noting the actual voter turnout is estimated to have been a mere 25%, the lowest in Venezuelan history. Plus, the living conditions of Venezuela’s citizens are deplorable, and they are clearly not happy. This makes Maduro’s rule tantamount to tyranny.
On the other hand, supporting US intervention in this case seems to undermine its historical intervention in Latin America’s governments: we simply shouldn’t encourage biased interventionism for political gains.
US Intervention
The US has intervened with foreign governments in Latin America. It’s not exactly a secret. As per several declassified and/or leaked official documents indicate, the US has recognized its role without reservation. In short, after Truman’s doctrine of fighting against communism following the Cold War, it became standard US policy to brazenly get involved and interfere with regime changes in Latin America.
It happened in Argentina with the military dictatorship of General Videla (responsible for over 30,000 people going missing). It happened in Chile when the CIA helped Pinochet’s tyrannic decade-long rule of suppression and persecution. It happened in Brazil after the 1964 coup d’état. It happened in Peru, Uruguay, Paraguay, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Guatemala… So you can only understand why any US “assistance” regarding Latin American politics could be met with suspicion. Perhaps this is just another instance. Or perhaps it’s not. Still, it’s not easy to hear a US president support a Latin American uprising at this point. Not for now.
Fidel Castro and Augusto Pinochet.
But…
There’s another interesting point, however. Even if it turns out Trump has some manipulative agenda behind his declaration, is it not still better to uphold it with respect to Venezuela than to just allow its citizens to suffer further? Interventionism, as international policy, may be wrong. But surely, if another nation is actually acting immorally towards its citizens, it’s better to intervene than to let it happen. Surely morality takes priority over borders.
So, what’s the problem? When a nation is powerful enough to get away with international intervention, it’s always dangerous to simply allow it to intervene based on their understanding of morality. If the US intervenes by force, it won’t be morality, but politics and oil-based economy that will stand behind. Also, it’s always possible that we get moral ideals wrong, and our imposition of our particular standards unto others might actually be for their detriment. That’s why, in general, we’d rather let the people choose what they’d prefer than intervene. In this case, the people don’t seem to have chosen Maduro—and they seem to be choosing his opposition.
Nicolás Maduro.
While I personally may welcome Trump’s declaration (though I wouldn’t welcome a more active intervention), I can easily see why many in Latin America do not. At this point, however, the suffering of the people in Venezuela should take precedence, and Maduro’s government is actively harming its population.
It’s a complicated situation, for sure, filled with gray moral areas and countless political caveats. What do you think?
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