US Decries 'Illegal' Maduro Capture Plot, Ignores Its Own History
The United States, through various administrations, has a well-documented history of interfering in Latin American sovereign nations. From orchestrating coups in Chile (1973) and Honduras (2009) to attempting the removal of Manuel Noriega from Panama (1989) using military force and an indictment, Washington's playbook for dealing with inconvenient leaders rarely emphasizes 'international norms.'
The alleged plot against Maduro, described by Al Jazeera as 'Trump framing Maduro as the evil in this scenario,' sounds less like an innovation and more like a remix of past interventions, conveniently rebranded for public consumption. One might observe that 'international norms' appear to be remarkably flexible, bending to accommodate the strategic interests of dominant global powers. When the US
designates a leader as 'evil,' the definition of acceptable conduct expands to include tactics that would be vehemently condemned if employed by others. How many 'international norms' can one nation violate before the concept itself becomes a punchline, rather than a guiding principle?