Why Donald Trump's Venezuela raid raises alarming questions about US intentions towards Greenland
Donald Trump needs to respect the democratic rights of the people of Venezuela and the people of Greenland
The US special forces operation in Venezuela that ousted the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and brought him to New York to face drugs and weapons charges underlined the extraordinary capabilities of the American military.
It also raised concerns about what might happen in the future, given there are serious questions about the operation’s compliance with international law and also over who runs Venezuela with Donald Trump saying the US was now, temporarily, in charge.
No one should have any sympathy with Maduro, even if he is not the leader of an international ‘narco-terrorist’ gang, as the US authorities allege (for the record, he denies it).
The recent Nobel Peace Prize awarded to opposition politician María Corina Machado for leading “the struggle for democracy in the face of ever-expanding authoritarianism in Venezuela” spoke volumes about a man widely recognised as a dictator who has rigged elections.
However, international law still matters and this could set an alarming precedent for another similar operation by the US against a less obviously repellent individual or, indeed, for raids by other powerful countries. If this is fine for Trump, then Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping may decide it’s fine for them too.
Trump’s decision to reiterate his demand for the US to take control of Greenland put the operation in a worrying context. If US forces are willing to carry out an allegedly illegal incursion into Venezuela, would they be prepared to invade the territory of Nato ally Denmark?
Keir Starmer avoided giving an opinion on the legality of the Venezuela operation, but was unequivocal about Greenland. Asked if he would tell Trump “hands off Greenland”, he said: “Yes... it is very important that the future of Greenland is for the Kingdom of Denmark and for Greenland themselves and only for Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark."
Just as Greenlanders should decide their own fate, Venezuela should not be run by a dictator or by the US, but by the people who live there.
This is a simple democratic principle that should be recognised by all, most especially Donald Trump, the supposed ‘leader of the free world’.
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.