Trump Sets a Devastating Precedent in Venezuela

FP experts and global leaders react to yesterday’s news  
  
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Trump Sets a Devastating Precedent in Venezuela  
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 _ByMichael Hirsh, a columnist for _Foreign Policy  
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| |  By attacking Venezuela, seizing its president, and promising to “run” the country indefinitely—all without any  congressional or United Nations authorization—U.S. President Donald Trump may well have shredded what little is left of international norms and opened the way to new acts of aggression from U.S. rivals China and Russia on the world stage, some experts say. In return, Trump probably achieved little in the way of stopping narcotics flows into the United States, even as he asserts what he calls the “Trump corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine in his new National Security Strategy, which aims “to restore American preeminence in the Western Hemisphere.” While it’s true that much of the world and, by most accounts, a majority of Venezuelans did not see President Nicolás Maduro as legitimate—and Maduro has been indicted in the United States on charges of being a drug trafficker—Trump has now set a potentially devastating precedent, some critics and experts say. Beijing and Moscow could decide to act in similar fashion against regional leaders whom they deem to be threats—especially in Ukraine and Taiwan—all without worrying about the legitimacy of such actions...  
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A Strategic Break for South America  
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Early on Saturday morning, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States had attacked Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. It is hard to exaggerate the historical significance of these events.   
  
Whatever one thinks of Maduro’s catastrophic rule—or of Trump’s stated objectives to “run” the country and take control of its oil reserves—the use of overt U.S. military force against a South American government marks a profound rupture of regional precedent.  
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Global Leaders React to U.S. Operation in Venezuela  
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Foreign leaders struck a mixed tone in the aftermath, with some praising the U.S. operation and expressing support for democracy in Venezuela and others calling the attack a violation of international law and Venezuelan sovereignty. _Foreign Policy_ is tracking how the world is responding to the U.S. operation—within Venezuela, in Latin America, and beyond.   
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The Rewatch: Trump’s Options in Venezuela  
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**James Story** joined FP’s **Ravi Agrawal** on FP Live on Dec. 18 to game out what would happen if an attack on Venezuela is sanctioned. What range of outcomes would the Trump administration consider? How might the region react? Story served as U.S. ambassador to Venezuela during the Trump and Biden administrations. Revisit their conversation to better make sense of yesterday’s news. _Available in video (exclusively for FP subscribers) and audio (free to listen). Atranscript is also available for FP Insiders._  
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