Opinion / Columnist
Trump’s invasion of Venezuela exposes the world's dangerous addiction to strongmen
18 hrs ago |
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Donald Trump’s sudden invasion of Venezuela is not just another chapter in America’s long history of foreign interference. It is a brutal reminder of a global system that rewards power, punishes weakness and pretends to care about democracy only when it is convenient.
Let us be honest: if Venezuela did not sit on one of the world’s largest oil reserves, no American soldier would have set foot in Caracas this week. Trump’s claim that the United States will “run Venezuela temporarily” is not the language of liberation. It is the language of ownership. It is the language of empire.
And the world, once again, is pretending to be shocked.
For decades, Western governments have lectured the Global South about sovereignty, human rights and the rule of law. Yet the moment a resource‑rich nation becomes politically inconvenient, those principles evaporate like mist in the sun. The invasion of Venezuela is not an exception. It is the rule.
What makes this moment even more dangerous is the global applause from those who believe that strongman politics is the only language the world understands. Trump’s supporters are celebrating the operation as a show of strength. But strength without legality is simply force. And force without accountability is tyranny.
Venezuela is not Panama. It is not Grenada. It is a nation of 28 million people with deep political fractures, armed factions and powerful international allies. By removing Nicolás Maduro through military force, the United States has opened a door it cannot easily close. Power vacuums do not stay empty. They fill with chaos.
The humanitarian consequences will be catastrophic. Already, Venezuelans are fleeing neighbourhoods hit by explosions. Families are hiding in basements. Aid agencies are scrambling. And yet the world’s most powerful nation insists this is all in the name of “restoring democracy”.
Zimbabweans know this script too well. We have lived through the consequences of foreign pressure, sanctions, and the selective morality of global powers. We understand how quickly the language of “helping” can turn into the reality of domination. Today it is Venezuela. Tomorrow it could be any nation whose resources become too tempting for the world’s superpowers to resist.
Southern Africa must not stay silent. SADC must not pretend this is a distant crisis. When a powerful nation can topple another government overnight and justify it with a press conference, every smaller nation becomes vulnerable. Sovereignty becomes conditional. Independence becomes negotiable.
Trump’s invasion of Venezuela is not about democracy. It is about power. It is about oil. It is about a world order that still treats the Global South as a chessboard rather than a community of equal nations.
If the world does not challenge this precedent now, we will all pay the price later.
Let us be honest: if Venezuela did not sit on one of the world’s largest oil reserves, no American soldier would have set foot in Caracas this week. Trump’s claim that the United States will “run Venezuela temporarily” is not the language of liberation. It is the language of ownership. It is the language of empire.
And the world, once again, is pretending to be shocked.
For decades, Western governments have lectured the Global South about sovereignty, human rights and the rule of law. Yet the moment a resource‑rich nation becomes politically inconvenient, those principles evaporate like mist in the sun. The invasion of Venezuela is not an exception. It is the rule.
What makes this moment even more dangerous is the global applause from those who believe that strongman politics is the only language the world understands. Trump’s supporters are celebrating the operation as a show of strength. But strength without legality is simply force. And force without accountability is tyranny.
The humanitarian consequences will be catastrophic. Already, Venezuelans are fleeing neighbourhoods hit by explosions. Families are hiding in basements. Aid agencies are scrambling. And yet the world’s most powerful nation insists this is all in the name of “restoring democracy”.
Zimbabweans know this script too well. We have lived through the consequences of foreign pressure, sanctions, and the selective morality of global powers. We understand how quickly the language of “helping” can turn into the reality of domination. Today it is Venezuela. Tomorrow it could be any nation whose resources become too tempting for the world’s superpowers to resist.
Southern Africa must not stay silent. SADC must not pretend this is a distant crisis. When a powerful nation can topple another government overnight and justify it with a press conference, every smaller nation becomes vulnerable. Sovereignty becomes conditional. Independence becomes negotiable.
Trump’s invasion of Venezuela is not about democracy. It is about power. It is about oil. It is about a world order that still treats the Global South as a chessboard rather than a community of equal nations.
If the world does not challenge this precedent now, we will all pay the price later.
Source - Nomalizwe Mbulu
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