The recent escalation of US military operations in the Caribbean marks a decisive increase in counter-narcotics efforts, reigniting the debate over America’s role in the hemisphere. Many abroad balk at anything resembling yet another American intervention in a sovereign nation. but despite this anger of foreign leaders and this Doubts of policy expertsIt is a necessary course to pursue regime change in Venezuela.
America is not just facing another authoritarian ruler, it is facing a regime that poses some serious threats to its national security.
Venezuela’s ruling elite and its actions as America’s rivals are more complex than many realize. Nicolás Maduro and Diosdado Cabello are not simply trying to preserve Hugo Chávez’s inefficient and corrupt project. United Socialist Party of Venezuela – with its alter ego, cartel of the suns – gives a sophisticated order machine of social control And violation of human rightsWhose spokesperson is Maduro? criminal enterprise Which harms America in many ways. Allowing Maduro and his allies to remain in power means tolerating a crime syndicate with access to all the instruments of national power.
When President Barack Obama nominated Venezuela “An unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States” In 2015, few people understood the full scale of that threat. As author Anne Applebaum wrote “Autocracy Inc.,” an international network of intolerant regimes uses their comparative advantages as a cooperative means to maintain power. This network not only reshapes domestic institutions – it seeks to change the rules of the game and undermine the foundations of the liberal democratic system.
under venezuela chavismo It serves as a haven for international criminals and terrorists in the US. Imagine an area larger than Texas and Florida combined, rich in oil, gold and rare earths, being able to do Buy Loyalty Across America And Financing of violent non-state actorsThis “political” enterprise has leveraged a romantic but dehumanizing ideology to use socialism as a medium of oppression. Their end is simple: accumulate enough power and wealth to become untouchable.
Chavismo is a coalition of former guerrillas, socialist activists trained by Fidel Castro, power-hungry military men, and opportunistic elites. Many Venezuelan scholars have examined this phenomenon in depth, but readers should ““Dragon in the Tropics” Particularly informative. This political-movement-turned-criminal-enterprise was created in Venezuela’s resentment of 20th-century ideals of democracy and the United States. Since Chávez took power in 1999, and especially after his brief ouster in 2002, this coalition has dedicated itself to consolidating power at any cost.
If Venezuela were a legitimate state that had been corrupted by a few bad actors, the task would be simple: identify and neutralize them. But the evidence shows the opposite. Venezuelan generals like Clever Alcala Cordones And hugo carvajal barriosBoth were convicted in US courts, exposing the true nature of the regime. Chavismo uses the state to further its criminal enterprise. Government agencies control the population, collect revenue, and allocate territories and industries among loyalists. A seemingly functional Foreign Service enables trade, money laundering and diplomatic cover.
whether it be suitcases of cash are flying to argentina Or Gold planes headed towards Türkiye In Violation of EU sanctionsChavismo diplomacy clearly conceals criminal activities.
The most effective tools of the Venezuelan regime today are drug trafficking into the Americas and assistance to terrorists and non-state actors. Venezuela has opened its territory colombian guerrilla Integrated into global illegal networks. Operators and Islamic extremists linked to Iran there’s a place to be foundeven getting Venezuelan passport,
The country’s military logistics and infrastructure help fuel drug trafficking and illegal mining, finance ruling elites, empower transnational gangs, and support other malign actors throughout the region and beyond. Its porous boundaries Traffickers easily dodge law enforcement to and from Colombia and Brazil, while its long Caribbean coastline has made it a major transit point for international drug trafficking, according to UN findings,
The regimes led by Maduro and Cabello will always enable and participate in transnational organized crime. As a Venezuelan, I cannot deny my personal bias: I want my country to be free by any means necessary. However, it is undeniable that the vast majority of Venezuelans Have already turned against Chavismo. Even setting aside the moral issue of democracy and human rights, regime change in Venezuela is a matter of US national security.
It doesn’t matter how many smugglers are stopped at the southern border or how many drug boats are stopped – or blow up – As long as one of the richest and most strategic regions of South America is controlled by a criminal organization, threats to US national security will continue to emerge. Washington should treat the Maduro regime not as a government to be negotiated, but as an international criminal organization to be dismantled.
Osvaldo Silva is a graduate student in the George Mason International Security Program.
