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Trump says Venezuela’s Maduro captured after strikes

reuters.com

771–780 of 1001 posts

Re: Trump says Venezuela’s Maduro captured after strikes

#771
post #726

I get slightly desperate realizing how people are lead to such naive discussions, even in a place with supposedly instructed, informed persons. Maduro may be a dictator, a murderer, whatever. This has absolutely no relation with the reasons for US invading, bombing and killing Venezuelans, or whichever country. For about a century, US has been doing it all over the world, not because they wanna live in a better, peac…

I don't understand what you're saying here. First, yep, countries act in self-interest. There's no war in the history of the planet that was started out of the kindness of one's heart. That doesn't mean that the outcome of a self-interested intervention can't be just or good for the country in the long haul. I don't know how this one will pan out, but I suspect that the interests of the US and of the citizens of Venezuela are aligned much more closely than, say, in the Middle East.

Second, you're portraying US as a malicious actor operating in a vacuum. The reality is that there's a fierce competition between superpowers to broaden their spheres of influence and ultimately control the world. There's no future in which a relatively small, resource-rich, and politically dysfunctional country is left to its own devices. The choice is between Russia, China, and the US. Venezuela was more or less one of the Russian client states, and that status quo was maintained through undemocratic means, including mass murder of political opponents using the military gear provided by RU. Now, the US is going to try its hand, probably in a far less brutal way.

Re: Trump says Venezuela’s Maduro captured after strikes

#773
Why are comments allowed on these posts? What is the point? What is ever gained? Conservatives question and deny. Liberals point out the multiple laws broken. People from the rest of the world tell those of in the USA that we have our head up our ass.

How are any of us better for this? How is this better than Facebook's engagement-bait?

Peace. Out.

Re: Trump says Venezuela’s Maduro captured after strikes

#774
post #726

I get slightly desperate realizing how people are lead to such naive discussions, even in a place with supposedly instructed, informed persons. Maduro may be a dictator, a murderer, whatever. This has absolutely no relation with the reasons for US invading, bombing and killing Venezuelans, or whichever country. For about a century, US has been doing it all over the world, not because they wanna live in a better, peac…

It's a win-win, it's good for Venezuelans and US wants the country to become an ally. People behind the decision probably took both into account.

In principle, it's morally good to overthrow a dictator in some circumstances. The most obvious example is North Korea - if the US had the ability to transition that country into democracy with little risk of something going wrong, they should obviously do that.

Re: Trump says Venezuela’s Maduro captured after strikes

#775
post #600

A lot of Venezuelans are happy about it. Maduro is not good for Venezuela. The US should not be the decider of who stays in power on another country. The president should not have the power to apprehend a countries president IN THEIR COUNTRY without a process thats more than just "I really want it". The US is giving another clear message that it does not care about global order, just global control. We're back in the…

Easiest path from here on for the US is to cooperate with existing power structures in the resources grab/"sharing" + forcing some concessions, like increased efforts to fight against drug trafficking.

Re: Trump says Venezuela’s Maduro captured after strikes

#776
post #764

Maduro was a monstrous dictator who was guaranteed to kill more people than this US strike did. And there is an opposition party which has been suppressed by Maduro, but is otherwise ready to go. There is much hope to be had for this beautiful country and its people now. Hopefully this act will also have a chilling effect on other vile left wing dictators like those in North Korea and Cuba

[deleted]

Re: Trump says Venezuela’s Maduro captured after strikes

#777

Interesting that they chose to capture him alive. Surely this poses a great problem to the administration. Maduro didn't exactly commit any crimes.... This is a horrifying way for any country to act, and millions of people will be hurt. Truly a travesty of the greatest order.

> Maduro didn't exactly commit any crimes

Lol. Lmao even

Re: Trump says Venezuela’s Maduro captured after strikes

#778

It's funny how many people already see this as a book that is opened and closed on the same day. That's not how these things work. This is like the first stone of an avalanche. It could stop here, or it could roll on for quite a while. It will take months or even years to know whether or not the outcome here was desirable or not and what the final tally is. Remember the 'Arab spring' and what came after.

6 years ago to the day many people were hysterical when Trump offed Soleimani on his Baghdad field trip. Turned out it brought substantial positive change to the Middle East.

It may not work out this time but when you start from a terrible rock bottom status quo the chances are already biased.

Re: Trump says Venezuela’s Maduro captured after strikes

#779
post #600

A lot of Venezuelans are happy about it. Maduro is not good for Venezuela. The US should not be the decider of who stays in power on another country. The president should not have the power to apprehend a countries president IN THEIR COUNTRY without a process thats more than just "I really want it". The US is giving another clear message that it does not care about global order, just global control. We're back in the…

Alas, we're back to 1989. Bush did the same to Noriega in Panama when he stopped playing ball with the CIA.

Re: Trump says Venezuela’s Maduro captured after strikes

#780
post #600

A lot of Venezuelans are happy about it. Maduro is not good for Venezuela. The US should not be the decider of who stays in power on another country. The president should not have the power to apprehend a countries president IN THEIR COUNTRY without a process thats more than just "I really want it". The US is giving another clear message that it does not care about global order, just global control. We're back in the…

I think a coup was forming regardless. Fort Tiuna where Maduro was is not near the coast. So basically no one heard/saw/detected the US forces coming that far inland. Also, most importantly, no one stopped them from leaving with their president.

The whole "we got him" is a bit fishy. I think the Venezuelan military (and the current vice president) wanted Maduro out. A coup would have been messy. So the US comes in and does them a favor.

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