There are 5 countries that I would strongly consider visiting if and ONLY IF they got a new regime that respects basic human rights. They are China, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. I have nothing against the people of these countries. My only beef is with their government.
One of the reasons that I support Trump is his America First and non-interventionist foreign policy. As I've posted before, I do sympathize with people living under oppressive regimes but America cannot be the world's police force and topple leaders that we don't like. History has proven that US intervention often makes things worse in the long run. For this reason, I was initially skeptical about this operation. However after seeing the reactions from Venezuelans, including 3 that I follow on social media, I lean towards the supportive position with reservations. Reactions range from a cautious optimism and relief to sheer ecstasy. The Republican nominee in 2028 ought to do pretty well among Latinos, especially if it is Vance or Rubio.
Did Trump do it out of the goodness of his heart to liberate the Venezuelan people? Probably not. That said, I am pleased to see them finally get a taste of freedom after a quarter century of Communism that caused a third of its people to flee. Was access to the oil a factor in his decision? Possibly. However, I believe the primary reason was that Maduro is the leader of a major drug cartel that is largely responsible for the scourge of Fentanyl in the US. Therefore, you could say that Maduro was a threat to America even if his military was not. He was not a duly elected leader. He lost his last election by more than 50 points but would not give up his power AND though I don't know the specifics, there was a warrant for his arrest. Therefore, I do not consider this an act of unprovoked regime change
This must NOT turn into another Iraq or Afghanistan. If it does, Trump could lose my support. I don't see that happening. Other countries fear that they could be next. If their leader was lawfully elected and is not wanted by law enforcement, it's not going to happen. I am rooting for the people of Cuba and Iran. In the latter, Trump has warned that there will be consequences if the regime turns violent against the protesters. I have a good feeling that Iran's regime will collapse on its own.
The reaction among the Left was predictable. Suppose you said that though you don't deny Maduro is a bad guy, this action was not appropriate. Fair enough. That's a reasonable viewpoint. Marching in support of a narco dictator is another matter. Several protesters said that they would rather live under Maduro than Trump. No words can express how I feel about that level of stupidity. Obama took out Gaddafi in Libya and it was crickets. Something tells me that if Obama had done the same thing, Democrats would be cheering while Republicans would be worried about another Iraq. I'm not such a blind partisan that I automatically oppose everything that Democrats do while supporting Trump without question. When the Obama administration took out Osama bin Laden, you bet I praised him.
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