Venezuela is not about drugs: Trump’s Regional Expansionism and Europe’s Test

🔸 An illegal aggression and kidnapping of the leaders of a country, even if illegitimate, constitutes a flagrant violation of the UN Charter and its sovereignty which can’t find any justification under international law. Furthermore, Trump launched this military intervention without congressional approval, an act that numerous lawmakers have denounced as unconstitutional.

🔸 This military assault was not, and it has never been, about fighting drug trafficking. Venezuela only represents a very small percentage of drug trafficking routes.

🔸 It also wasn’t about democracy, as Trump himself made crystal clear, his main goal in Venezuela is to seize oil production. Venezuela holds the largest oil reserves in the world. 

🔸 The kidnapping of the Venezuelan president and the First Lady, and Trump declared intention control of the country, are a sign not only of willingness to dominate Venezuela but of a wider strategy to assert control over Latin America’s resources and to diminish any political or economic influence of China in the region, as stated in the latest US National Security Strategy.

🔸 Trump has threatened Cuba, Mexico, and Colombia with being next on his list for intervention.  His political control of the continent extends to supporting politically and economically far-right leaders: clear support for Javier Milei in Argentina, pressure against the incarceration of Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, Trump’s backing of Nasry Asfura in Honduras, deals with Nayib Bukele involving the transfer of migrants to prisons in El Salvador, and support for Daniel Noboa and his hardline approach to crime in Ecuador.

🔸 This upcoming year, there will be presidential elections in Colombia, Brazil, Peru, and Costa Rica. This past year, with the exception of Uruguay with a progressive government and Bolivia with a centre-right president, the region is tilting to the far right, with Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and El Salvador having pro-Trump presidents in office.

🔸 However, it seems that for most EU leaders, including Macron, Merz, Meloni, and the erratic Kaja Kallas, international law is applied with a selective blindness, ignoring breaches that suit their agendas.

🔸 Normalising this attack sets a terribly dangerous precedent anywhere in the world. The Commission’s evasive language and the support of some EU leaders undermine Europe’s credibility for legitimate fights like the defence of Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

🔸 Another major consequence of this new episode in Venezuela could be a greater influx of migrants if the situation unravels. Venezuelan migrants, especially those with low resources or in irregular situations, are facing increasingly xenophobic policies in many host countries across the region,especially brutal in the USA.

🔸 Even though María Corina Machado’s candidate, Edmundo González, won the election by a large majority, some opposition voices in Venezuela that have been playing a critical role in striving for a negotiated solution to the political crisis and have opposed US military intervention are not sufficiently being heard in Europe.

The 🇪🇺 EU should take concrete steps:

🔸 Condemn the illegal assault, the abduction and control of a sovereign country by the US.
🔸Apply strong diplomatic pressure to restore Venezuela’s sovereignty and create the conditions to move to a democratic government.
🔸 Provide humanitarian aid to the people in Venezuela and those in displacement.
🔸 Secure Greenland’s self-governing autonomy.
🔸 At last, pursue an autonomous foreign policy that consistently defends international law and that is independent from the US. 

A commentary by Beatriz Abellan Merelo, FEPS Policy Analyst on International Relations.

Photo credits: Shutterstock | Saulo Ferreira Angelo

We also recommend FEPS Sec. General, László Andor’s reaction in Linkedin to US military intervention: