US Strikes on Venezuela: 'Kindness' by Missile
Donald Trump, whose admiration for authoritarian leaders is well-documented, recently boasted that US strikes on alleged Venezuelan cartel boats were 'an act of kindness' (RT, 2024). This framing—turning military action against a sovereign nation into philanthropy—is a staple of US foreign policy. It's the same rationale that presented Reagan's backing of Nicaraguan Contras, Clinton’s bombing of
Yugoslavia, or Bush’s invasion of Iraq as noble endeavors. This 'kindness' conveniently ignores the US’s long history of destabilizing Venezuela, including sanctions crippling its economy and covert operations, all while attempting to install favored leaders. How many more 'acts of kindness' can one nation endure before the 'aid' becomes indistinguishable from attack? Perhaps starving a country
into submission is merely a tough love approach to democracy (patent pending).