The following are observations by Peaceworks Director Mark Haim RE: the Trump-ordered attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Maduro:
This past
Saturday started off with a bang. I was safe,and so were my
neighbors, as the explosions I was hearing were on NPR's Weekend
Edition, coming from Caracas, Venezuela. Apparently, while I got a
good night's sleep, others were awakened by bombs in their
neighborhoods, with 80 or more people losing their lives. I, and
fellow peace advocates, immediately started organizing to get the
word out, and over the weekend we held two demonstrations raising
concerns regarding this dangerous maneuver..
We were out at
the CoMo City Hall Keyhole, and most passersby were supportive of our
point of view. The main disagreement came from some of those weighing
in on social media. Many made the argument that this was not war
because it was over practically before it began.
Well, let me
ask this: If some unnamed nation was to have its air force fly over
Washington, DC and other critical locations, bombing multiple
targets, while at the same time that country's military landed in
helicopters, made their way into the White House, and took off with
the president and their spouse, would we not consider this an act of
war? And, would it be legal?
The question of legality has both
international and national dimensions. Under international
law—specifically according to Article two of the United Nations
Charter—there are just two legal routes to going to war. One is
self-defense. The other is when mandated by the UN Security Council.
Please note that the Charter is a treaty the U.S. ratified and thus
according to the Supremacy Clause of our Constitution, is the highest
law of the land.
Let me know if I'm missing something, but,
as best I can tell, Venezuela has not dispatched their military to
attack the U.S. and, likewise I've heard no reports of the Council
authorizing military action by the U.S. Sadly, international law is
often violated—as it was in 2003 when Bush, Cheney and Powell could
not convince the Council to authorize war on Iraq, so they went to
war anyway—but this does not make our nation exempt from following
it.
Meanwhile, domestically, Article One, Section Eight of our
Constitution requires a vote of Congress to declare war. This also
has been ignored since World War II. Instead, we've relied upon the
War Powers Resolution, adopted in the wake of the Vietnam War. It
requires presidential communication with Congress and sets time
limits in requiring Congressional approval. The Trump administration
has ignored this too, when the President has ordered the bombing of
other countries including Syria, Iran, Yemen, Nigeria and
others.
Whatever one may think of the Maduro regime, violating
Venezuela's sovereignty by removing it from office is wrong. And
putting the power to do this, employing the vast, lethal resources of
the United States military, in the hands of one individual is
extremely dangerous.
We might wake up one morning to the news
that the U.S. Military has attacked another country, with missiles
and bombs, as a prelude to sending in so-called “boots on the
ground,” with a higher price to be paid in life, limb and
resources. Once the camel gets its nose under the tent, there is no
telling how far this will go, a lesson that should have been learned
60 years ago in the jungles of Vietnam.
Another danger that
we can't afford to ignore is the justification actions like this by
our nation provides to others. Consider the legitimacy this might
provide to China vis-a-vis Taiwan, or Russia vis-a-vis Ukraine. And,
just as Putin likely would be tempted to attack the Baltic states and
others, if allowed to conquer Ukraine, so too might Trump be tempted
to attack Greenland, or Panama, or Colombia among others, if allowed
to get away with overthrowing the government of Venezuela.
A
world in which “might makes right” is one run by bullies; is one
in which human rights, including the right to life, are rolled over
by those who have the biggest guns, the fastest, most accurate
missiles and the biggest bombs, potentially including nuclear
weapons.
If this troubles you, please make your voice heard.
