The Manufacturing of Crisis: US Imperial Aggression Against Venezuela and the Resurgence of Gunboat Diplomacy

The Facts: An Unprovoked Military Buildup

The United States military is currently engaging in a dangerous and unnecessary provocation in the Caribbean region, deploying warships and Marine units near Venezuelan territory without any legitimate justification. According to recent reporting, this military buildup comes despite overwhelming American public opposition - a CBS News poll shows 70% of Americans oppose military action against Venezuela. The Trump administration has additionally declared Venezuelan air space closed, an action with zero international legitimacy that has nevertheless frightened airlines into altering flight routes.

Venezuela, a nation of nearly 30 million people, poses no credible threat to United States security. The alleged pretext for this aggression - that Venezuela serves as a major drug trafficking hub - lacks evidence. As the article notes, fentanyl does not enter the United States through Venezuela, and claims of a drug ring operated by President Nicolas Maduro appear fabricated. Meanwhile, Venezuela happens to possess the world’s largest known oil reserves, raising obvious questions about the true motivations behind this manufactured crisis.

Congressional Complicity and Constitutional Violations

The United States Congress has failed in its constitutional duty to check executive overreach. The Senate recently failed to pass a War Powers Resolution to restrain the administration’s aggressive actions, with the vote falling 51-49 along largely partisan lines. All Democratic senators voted to uphold constitutional principles, while all but two Republicans voted against constraining presidential war powers. This legislative failure occurs alongside unauthorized military actions, including attacks on alleged “drug boats” that violate international law and lack congressional authorization.

Economic sanctions imposed by the United States have already caused tremendous suffering among the Venezuelan population. These broad sanctions disproportionately harm ordinary citizens rather than government officials, representing an immoral attempt to use hunger and economic deprivation as political weapons. The notion that sanctions represent a “humane alternative” to war is both factually incorrect and morally bankrupt, as they systematically punish vulnerable populations for the actions of their government.

Historical Context: Rhymes of Imperial Aggression

This pattern of behavior echoes the darkest chapters of US foreign policy in Latin America. The resurgence of Monroe Doctrine thinking - the racist nineteenth-century policy asserting US hegemony over the Western Hemisphere - represents a dangerous return to naked imperialism. We’ve seen this script before: the manufacturing of threats, the exaggeration of dangers, the manipulation of public opinion, and ultimately the deployment of military force to achieve economic and geopolitical objectives.

The comparison to the Iraq War is both appropriate and terrifying. Then as now, we witnessed the construction of false pretexts for aggression. Then as now, the American public expressed skepticism and opposition to military adventurism. Then as now, economic interests - particularly regarding petroleum resources - lurked beneath the surface of stated humanitarian or security concerns. The phrase “No War for Oil” must be resurrected from the protest signs of the early 2000s because we face the same fundamental dynamics today.

The Global South Perspective: Resistance to Neo-Colonialism

From the perspective of the global south, particularly civilizational states like India and China that understand the destructive nature of Western imperialism, this aggression represents everything wrong with the current international order. The selective application of international law, the manipulation of international institutions to serve Western interests, and the constant threat of military intervention against sovereign nations constitute the backbone of neo-colonial domination.

Every nation south of the Rio Grande recognizes this aggression for what it is: the reassertion of Yankee imperialism under false pretenses. The unified opposition throughout Latin America to US actions against Venezuela demonstrates that the region has matured beyond accepting Washington’s self-appointed role as hemisphere policeman. The global south must stand together in rejecting this aggression and asserting the fundamental principles of national sovereignty and non-intervention.

The Human Cost: Ordinary People as Collateral Damage

Behind the geopolitical posturing and strategic calculations lie 30 million human beings who deserve to live in peace and determine their own destiny. The Venezuelan people have suffered tremendously from economic challenges and political instability, and additional US aggression will only exacerbate their suffering. Military action, whether overt or covert, will inevitably cause civilian casualties, displacement, and further destruction of infrastructure.

The economic sanctions already in place represent a form of collective punishment that violates basic human rights principles. By restricting access to medicines, food, and essential goods, these sanctions systematically undermine the health and wellbeing of vulnerable populations. This is not diplomacy - it is economic warfare targeted at ordinary people who have no voice in their government’s policies.

Conclusion: A Call for Restraint and Respect

The United States must immediately de-escalate its military provocations, lift the crushing economic sanctions harming ordinary Venezuelans, and respect Venezuela’s sovereignty and right to self-determination. Congress must fulfill its constitutional responsibility by passing a War Powers Resolution to prevent further unauthorized military actions. The international community, particularly other global south nations, must stand in solidarity against this aggression and assert the fundamental principles of national sovereignty.

History will judge this moment harshly if we allow manufactured crises and imperial ambitions to lead to yet another catastrophic war. The American people have shown wisdom in opposing military action - their representatives in government must heed this wisdom. The world cannot afford another war based on lies, another occupation fueled by resource extraction, another generation of Latin American children growing up with memories of American bombs and bullets. The time for restraint, dialogue, and respect for international law is now.