"The story about Venezuela's recent history describes how the Maduro administration arrested people in opposition parties, relied on loyalists in the Supreme Court to strip the power of the National Assembly and eroded democratic checks and balances to the extent of putting the country in a constitutional crisis. Does this picture of paving the way to authoritarianism and dictatorship look familiar to Americans?"
"President Trump's incursion in Venezuela raises myriad legal issues as well as practical questions. The legal issues boil down to when one country may invade another, depose its leader, take its resources, maintain a military presence or "run" the country? While deposing President Maduro might be allowed based on his prosecution in U.S. courts, the remaining actions do not appear to be justified under international law. Congress should prevent another foreign military and fiscal fiasco a la Iraq by denying funding for Trump's adventurism."
Venezuelan democratic institutions have been weakened through arrests of opposition figures, a Supreme Court aligned with the executive, and the stripping of the National Assembly's powers, producing a constitutional crisis. A proposal urges creation of an Alaska-style Permanent Fund to distribute oil revenue equally to all Venezuelan residents while funding government operations through taxation. Concerns about U.S. action emphasize complex legal and practical limits on invading, deposing leaders, seizing resources, or administering another country, arguing that many proposed actions lack justification under international law. Congress is urged to deny funding for military adventurism to avoid repeating past foreign policy mistakes. Education excellence in a local district is acknowledged, with a note that such achievements require substantial financial investment.
Read at The Mercury News
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