Since Juan Guaidó’s attempt to stir up an uprising in Venezuela on April 30, 2019, talks about potential American military involvement in the country have heated up. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did not discard a military option in Venezuela during an interview with Fox Business.
Liberty-minded Representative Thomas Massie offered his thoughts on the Venezuelan crisis on Twitter. Massie stated the following:
“The violence in Venezuela is appalling. I hope both sides can resolve their differences peacefully. However, if the American people support engaging in military action in the region, then the Constitution requires proper congressional approval first.”
The Kentucky Congressman continued:
“That is why I’m an original cosponsor (the only Republican) of H.R. 1004, a bill that would require congressional authorization for any military action in Venezuela.”
Although Massie does raise an interesting point about how the DC political class has routinely abandoned constitutional procedure in declaring wars or conducting or other military operations, the Congressman misses the big picture. Interventionism constitutionally authorized or not, should not be pursued.
Simply put, the U.S.’s century-long legacy of kowtowing to the military-industrial complex is stretching its defense resources thin and putting the country on the road to potential fiscal collapse. We already see this with nation-building schemes in Afghanistan and Iraq, which have the U.S. spending $1 trillion on each campaign respectively.
2,350 troops were lost in Afghanistan and 4,488 troops in Iraq. Even worst is the civilian casualties, which certain estimates point to nearly 250,000 dying in these conflicts. Thankfully, the U.S. is considering scaling back its presence in Afghanistan in the next five years.
Getting in Venezuela, a country that has already become a geopolitical chessboard with China, Russia, and Iran present in some shape or form, will lead to another protracted conflict. In fact, it can be argued that this geopolitical block’s presence in Venezuela is a form of blowback in response to the U.S’s meddling in the Middle East. Potential unintended consequences such as a refugee crisis washing up on our shores could be a reality that the U.S. must cope with in this scenario.
All in all, Venezuela’s collapse is a home-brewed affair. However, it does not follow that the U.S. should get involved in a military invasion.
Let’s hope that cooler heads prevail in Washington D.C.
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