Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 04/Jan 03:43

Regime change by force in Venezuela

At 2 am on Saturday morning, US bombs fell on Venezuela, the first signal that the violent escalation of action ordered by President Trump would become boots on the ground. Bombs fell strategically on La Guaira port, Higuerote airport, La Cariota airport and the Fuerte Tiuna military complex, among others, but left the country's oil infrastructure intact. As explosions lit up the night sky, helicopters were seen flying over Caracas. The strategic detonations were likely a distraction from the ultimate purpose of the months-long military operation against President Nicolas Maduro, regime change by force. The Venezuelan president was flown out of the country with his wife, Cilia Flores, and is being held on the USS Iwo Jima. Mr Maduro was indicted in the US on corruption, drug trafficking and other charges in 2020. The State Department announced a US$50 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced after the military incursion that Mr Maduro would face "American justice on American soil in American courts." In the absence of the president, governance power passes to Venezuela's vice-president, Delcy Rodriguez. The action was more surgical than the 1989 Operation Just Cause, which took days to capture General Manuel Noriega. Mr Noreiga ruled as military dictator for almost a decade, supported financially since the 1960's by the CIA to ensure his alignment with US interests. He was arrested, tried and convicted on drug-related charges. Following that bloody invasion, which left an estimated 516 Panamanians dead, the UN General Assembly, the Organization of American States and the European Parliament condemned the invasion as a violation of international law. The US, understanding the value of Panama's Canal, followed the "you broke it, you own it" rule and supported the restoration of democracy in the country, beginning with the appointment of its elected president, Guillermo Endara. The damage wreaked on the capital by the invasion challenged recovery, but the US transfer of full control of the Panama Canal in 1999 under the Torrijos-Carter treaty spurred significant development and expansion, improving Panama's economy. Mr Trump's new National Security Strategy proposes a "Trump Corollary" to President James Monroe's 1823 doctrine, which positioned the Americas as off-limits to European expansionism. The new strategy lays the foundation for US imperialism as a motivating issue in its governance, with terms like "Peace through strength," "American preeminence" and "Flexible realism" used to describe a programme of global dominance. The US proposes, using this strategy, to prevent global imbalances in power by being the dominant power. Mr Trump alluded to this dominance in his casual reference during a press conference yesterday to the US "running" Venezuela and his claim that Ms Rodriguez, sworn in as president, would work with the US on realising its goals. Those ambitions, the US president made clear during his press briefing, are motivated most reliably by Venezuela's significant oil reserves. The post Regime change by force in Venezuela appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.