Regime Change Anyone?

 

(Photo by NY Times)

            No one can legitimately claim Mr. Maduro is a good guy. He was a despotic leader who enriched himself through a variety of nefarious mechanisms, including drug trafficking and siphoning off monies desperately needed by his people; but did we do the right thing by capturing him in an early morning military raid?

            There are a variety of international legal levers we can pull to bring about justice in such a case. Of course, these levers take time and patience to move, something we as a nation do not like. We enjoy the visceral gratification of immediate action. We want what we want and we want it now. The business community makes millions of dollars every year off our national predilection towards immediate gratification. Engaging the international community in bringing such a man to justice takes great painstaking effort, diplomatic and legal. The Pentagon and its well-trained clandestine units and machinery are a phone call away from the White House. Videos of American helicopters crossing the night sky as explosions send up plumes of smoke make for excellent news footage, but will we achieve any long-lasting good from this? Unfortunately, there are significant reasons why taking such action will not pay off in the long or short term. Capturing the head of state will not usher in an era of justice, mercy, and good governance.

            Mr. Maduro did not surround himself with law abiding individuals, who were focused on justice and other such issues. Instead, he surrounded himself with individuals who either actively participated in his criminal activities or turned a blind eye to them. These powerful individuals remain in Venezuela entrenched in their positions of power and prestige. While they may keep a lower profile in the coming months, they owe their riches and influence to infamous activities. We may have removed the leader; but, there are many equally evil individuals eager to step into the void. If, as it seems, we’re primarily motivated by regaining profits from Venezuela’s decrepit oil industry we’re not motivated by our higher ideals. Like the man we removed, our motivation stems from self-interest, and the people of Venezuela will continue to suffer.

            Nation building is notoriously difficult and messy. I know. I spent multiple tours in Baghdad, seeking to rebuild a nation devastated by years of exploitation by Saddam and his ilk and international neglect. We’re good at nation-wrecking; however, not so good at nation-building. President Bush said repeatedly that we did not want to engage in nation building. Sadly, there is a problem with saying that after you have broken a nation. If you break something, you have a responsibility to make it right. I was in Baghdad, Iraq in 2003 during and after the invasion, returning later to continue in the effort. I well remember the chaos that ensued. Our government did not have a plan for what happened after, leaving it to the “boots on the ground” to figure it out. There was the Coalition Provisional Authority, CPA, but the state department sent people on a temporary basis, ninety days and then return. The transient nature of their deployment told the Iraqis that the U.S. government did not care and was not particularly interested in investing the time and effort it takes to build the moral and governmental systems needed for good governance. Based on recent public proclamations, I suspect that there is no real plan within the White House or State Department. This leaves a power vacuum which other equally heinous actors will fill.

            The President and State Department have indicated that if the Venezuelan government “does what we say,” things will go well. I do not think we can run a country via text, email messages, and occasional high-profile visits. Even if all we care about is the profits from Venezuelan oil-fields, we will be sadly disappointed at the results. No serious businesses want to invest in and work in a crooked chaotic environment. Our international influence is not elevated and national interests are not protected. I suspect that unless something changes, in the end the people of Venezuela will continue to suffer privations at the merciless hands of corrupt and powerful men.