Trump embraces US intervention in Venezuela, opens door to broader Latin America push
President Donald Trump has adopted an interventionist posture to justify toppling dictator Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela — and has signaled he’ll take the same approach with other Latin American...
By Fox News · Fox News
President Donald Trump has adopted an interventionist posture to justify toppling dictator Nicolás Maduro’s regime in Venezuela — and has signaled he’ll take the same approach with other Latin American countries next as his administration seeks to assert dominance in the Western Hemisphere. Interventionism is a foreign policy approach where one country intervenes in another state's affairs. The U.S. has engaged in several interventions abroad — including launching an invasion of Iraq in 2003 that led to the toppling of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's regime. While Trump previously blasted previous administrations for actions in the Middle East and vowed he would bring an end to "endless wars" and has ushered in an " America First " agenda prioritizing U.S. interests, Trump signed off on conducting a "large scale strike" against Venezuela and capturing Maduro Saturday — prompting concern primarily from Democrats about starting another lengthy conflict. The strikes in Venezuela come on the heels of several other major military operations from the Trump administration — including conducting strikes in Nigeria on Christmas Day against Islamic State militants in response to attacks against Christians in the region; strikes in Syria in December against Islamic State operatives following an ambush against U.S. troops there; and conducting strikes in June against the Iranian nuclear facilities of Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. TRUMP'S MADURO TAKEDOWN RESETS THE GLOBAL CHESSBOARD AND REASSERTS AMERICAN POWER But unlike the strikes in the Middle East, the operations in Venezuela require additional U.S. involvement. Trump said Sunday that the U.S. will run Caracas, Venezuela, until a safe transition can occur — thrusting the U.S. into the most significant military intervention of Trump’s presidencies as he wages a campaign to "reassert American dominance in the Western Hemisphere ." "Trump has never been an advocate of regime change, but that is what he has on his hands now. Unl…