Forum Topic

"From the world cop to the world bully in less than one year".

"Americans probably still can be shocked and horrified. An undeclared, unprovoked, and illegal war designed to, well, we can only guess—though Donald Trump and JD Vance have seemed to concede this was a war for oil—puts the United States on the same moral and legal footing as Russia, which invaded its neighbor in a war of pure aggression. The U.S. president this weekend attacked a sovereign nation, killed its citizens, and kidnapped its leader.Rep, Jim Himes, ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said in a statement:Maduro is an illegitimate ruler, but I have seen no evidence that his presidency poses a threat that would justify military action without Congressional authorization, nor have I heard a strategy for the day after and how we will prevent Venezuela from descending into chaos. Secretary Rubio repeatedly denied to Congress that the Administration intended to force regime change in Venezuela. The Administration must immediately brief Congress on its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) aptly explained the constitutional outrage. “Trump rejected our Constitutionally required approval process for armed conflict because the Administration knows the American people overwhelmingly reject risks pulling our nation into another war,” he declared on social media. “This will further damage our reputation—already hurt by Trump’s policies around the world—and only isolate us in a time when we need our friends and allies more than ever.” Indeed, Mexico already denounced the action. Others are sure to follow.Any and all regime officials who insisted in congressional briefings that the boat strikes were about drugs, not regime change, lied to Congress as Kim and others have pointed out, and participated in a wholly unconstitutional war. Even Susie Wiles condeded in a recent Vanity Fair article that attacking the mainland would require congressional assent. So much for that.The U.S. attorney general declared that the United States had indicted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on narcotics charges and will be tried in federal court. That outlandish proposition opens the seizure to scrutiny and raises the interesting possibility that Trump claims he enjoys immunity but not other heads of state.Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), an Iraq War veteran, posted a sobering warning: “I fought in some of the hardest battles of the Iraq War. Saw my brothers die, saw civilians being caught in the crossfire all for an unjustified war. No matter the outcome we are in the wrong for starting this war in Venezuela.” He added, “Second unjustified war in my life time. This war is illegal, it’s embarrassing that we went from the world cop to the world bully in less than one year. There is no reason for us to be at war with Venezuela.”"From:-"Headfirst Into WarThe horrific attack on Venezuela overnight puts the U.S. in the same camp as Russia.Jennifer RubinJan 3"

David Ainsworth ● 1d17 Comments

I've just read that Mamdani is furious at Trumps actions. This should be interesting to see who comes out top in the battle of egos.

Lucille Grant ● 22h

lawyers can often find a reason to argue something is lawful and equally argue something is unlawful - you get the answer you pay for, plus of course Trump surrounds himself with yes-men. Does his reach extend to the NY court system? I dont know but if they are found innocent he will probably have them charged with being in the country illegally : )

Adam Tripp ● 23h

I wonder what NYs mayor thinks about the situation?

Lucille Grant ● 23h

Does the US's incursion into Venezuela constitute and invasion?Apologies for the hurried edit in my message above.

Ivonne Holliday ● 23h

Hello Michael,Yes, the Epstein files have been, at least temporarily, but in the back burner as it were.That is an incredibly interesting question! Putting the cat amongst the pigeons? I had not thought about that possibility at all!!  Personally, I wholeheartedly hope that  does not happen. Could it?  Who knows!  Under international law, invading another country is strictly prohibited.  Was the US's incursion into Venezuela constitute an invasion?

Ivonne Holliday ● 23h

An observation: looking at social media posts from the US I've seen none in the past day about the Epstein files and only a couple about exponential rises in ACA health insurance premiums ... and an interesting question: what happens if a NY jury finds Maduro, his wife and others not guilty beyond reasonable doubt when the evidence is presented in court and worked on by lawyers?

Michael Ixer ● 1d

"They have left the government intact"It currently looks like that, anyway."Who will lead Venezuela? Trump backs VP Delcy Rodríguez, dismisses Nobel laureate MachadoAt the center of Washington’s emerging plan is Delcy Rodríguez, 56, one of the most powerful figures in Venezuela’s ruling elite. Born in Caracas in 1969, Rodríguez is the daughter of Jorge Antonio Rodríguez, a left-wing guerrilla fighter and founder of the Liga Socialista party in the 1970s.""“I think it would be very tough for her [Nobel Peace Prize-winning opposition leader María Corina Machado] to be the leader,” Trump said. “She doesn’t have the support within or the respect within the country. She’s a very nice woman, but she doesn’t have the respect.”  Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, responded on social media by declaring that “the hour of freedom has arrived” and calling on opposition-backed candidate Edmundo González Urrutia to immediately assume the presidency.Machado had dedicated the award to US President Donald Trump, describing his role as “decisive” in the country’s fight for freedom. Washington looks beyond the Opposition  Despite Machado’s appeal, Trump indicated the US would instead engage with Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, a longtime loyalist of Maduro, whom he described as being “essentially willing to do what we think is necessary to make Venezuela great again.” " https://www.businesstoday.in/world/us/story/trump-backs-vice-president-delcy-rodriguez-for-venezuela-top-post-dismisses-nobel-laureate-machado-509305-2026-01-04

David Ainsworth ● 1d

Mr Hawkes,Thank you for your sharing your lack of knowledge about Venezuela.

Ivonne Holliday ● 1d

Mr AinsworthPerhaps you could use your vast artificial intelligence to explain to this lady how wrong she is.'María Corina Machado of Venezuela Is Awarded the Nobel Peace PrizeThe Norwegian Nobel Committee praised “her tireless work promoting democratic rights.” Ms. Machado, who built one of Venezuela’s most important political movements, has been in hiding since last year.NY Times“Venezuelans, the hour of freedom has arrived,” Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado exclaimed in a statement on Saturday following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro by US special forces.Machado said, “Faced with his [Maduro’s] refusal to accept a negotiated exit, the government of the United States has fulfilled its promise to enforce the law. Maduro, as of today, faces international justice for the atrocious crimes committed against Venezuelans and against citizens of many other nations.”She called for the restoration of order, the freeing of political prisoners, and the rebuilding of the nation after decades of dictatorship.“We have fought for years, we have given everything, and it has been worth it... This is the hour of the citizens. Those of us who risked everything for democracy on June 28 (the date of the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election).”Machado also demanded that Edmundo González Urrutia, whom most democratic countries recognize as the legitimate president of Venezuela, assume his constitutional mandate and be recognized as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.Jerusalem Times.

John Hawkes ● 1d

Ms Holliday'I do not think Venezuela has been liberated - at least not yet.'The Venezuelan people did not want or need liberating.Any reports of them celebrating such a fact are fake news. They relished living under a dictatorship and in a failed police state.Mr Ainsworth's artificial intelligence will soon prove that to you.Just as he can prove that the the Palestinians did not attack Israel in 2023 and are absolutely thriving under the rule of Hamas.

John Hawkes ● 1d

Mr Ainsworth'Iraqis celebrate the fall of Saddam, 2003'And what has this to do with the price of fish ?

John Hawkes ● 1d

Yes, it looks like it. So far, anyway."the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) disbanded Iraq's existing military and Ba'athist-linked security forces after Saddam Hussein's fall in 2003, but simultaneously tried to build new Iraqi police and defence units, creating a security vacuum that fuelled the insurgency. This controversial move, intended to remove Saddam's loyalists, left many soldiers unemployed and led to the creation of new, often locally recruited, forces that struggled with corruption and tribal loyalties, making them ineffective and sometimes part of the problem."

David Ainsworth ● 1d

what I find interesting about yesterday's events in VZ is that  they only captured Maduro (as far as I know). They have left the government intact - perhaps they have learnt the lessons of Iraq and Libya, that is, destroying a government inevitable leads to chaos. VZ still has a functioning government and so far, has not descended into chaos.

Adam Tripp ● 1d

Hello Sue,Yes, Venezuelans in exile around the world are celebrating the capture of President Maduro. Be it in the US, Chile, Spain.  I am not too sure that the Venezuelans in Venezuela spilled out onto the streets to sing and dance.First, the horror of being bombed, then hearing that Maduro and his wife were captured came as a surprise (shock?) but the problem is that the rest of the government is still in place, including Deosdado Cabello. I do not think Venezuela has been liberated - at least not yet.

Ivonne Holliday ● 1d

Iraqis celebrate the fall of Saddam, 2003 See:- https://tinyurl.com/29e6m5t6

David Ainsworth ● 1d

Yes Sue, you are so right. My son thinks the same, he was nattering on the phone yesterday.

Barbara Stevens ● 1d

Well done Trump!Venezuelans around the world are celebrating the capture of President Nicolas Maduro after he was flown out of the country and indicted on drugs charges in the United States. More than eight million citizens have fled Venezuela since 2014 due to rampant violence, inflation, gang warfare and shortages of food and medicine.  As a result, the country has been left facing one of the largest displacement crises in the world, according to the United Nations. So while Maduro's capture sent shockwaves around the world, jubilant Venezuelans spilled out onto the streets today to welcome the news with singing and dancing. Many were pictured holding both US and Venezuelan flags in a gesture to Donald Trump, who ordered the special forces operation to capture Maduro. One person celebrating in Chile said: 'I've come to celebrate because the dictatorship has fallen Maduro and Diosdado Cabello. https://mol.im/a/15431105

Sue Hammond ● 1d