Washington Post Editorial - "Justice in Venezuela"

Excellent editorial by the Washington Post coming out STRONGLY for the action to capture Venezuelan ruler Nicholas Maduro.

Millions of people around the world, most of all in Venezuela, are celebrating the downfall of the dictator Nicolás Maduro. President Donald Trump’s decision to capture him on Saturday was one of the boldest moves a president has made in years, and the operation was an unquestionable tactical success. The next step is ensuring that this triumph sets Venezuela up for stability and prosperity rather than more of the same, or worse.

What happened in Caracas was a clear reminder that America’s military, intelligence and cyber capabilities are second to none. More than 150 aircraft supported the Army’s Delta force in capturing Maduro and his wife. The couple are being extradited to the U.S., where they will face narco-terrorism, weapons and drug charges in Manhattan. There were no American deaths, although some U.S. service members were injured.

This is a major victory for American interests. Just hours before, supportive Chinese officials held a chummy meeting with Maduro, who had also been propped up by Russia, Cuba and Iran. No doubt millions of Venezuelans will remember who backed their oppressor and who effected his removal. But the end of Maduro will be a failure if it doesn’t also corrode the influence of American adversaries in this hemisphere.

Maduro’s removal sends an important message to tin-pot dictators in Latin America and the world: Trump follows through. President Joe Biden offered sanctions relief to Venezuela, and Maduro responded to that show of weakness by stealing an election.

Trump had telegraphed for months that Maduro could not remain in power, yet Venezuela’s illegitimate leader clung on. What are Iranian leaders thinking now as they consider how to respond to widespread anti-government protests? Are the communists in Cuba sleeping well after Secretary of State Marco Rubio put them on notice Saturday?

The natural question is what comes next. Trump said that “we are going to run the country now” but didn’t provide much clarity. Doing so will be critical to winning broader support for more involvement going forward.

The ideal outcome would be for María Corina Machado, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and leader of the Venezuelan opposition, to take power. Her Freedom Manifesto — influenced heavily by America’s Constitution — is the best outline for Venezuela’s future. The details would be tricky, but she would easily win a free and fair election.

Trump foolishly claimed during a Saturday afternoon news conference that Machado doesn’t have respect within the country, but does he think Maduro’s handpicked vice president does? Rubio has spoken with her, and Trump signaled that they expect Maduro’s No. 2 to be pliant to U.S. demands, especially relating to opening oil fields for U.S. companies. The president often shoots from his hip in these press conferences and would be wise to reconsider. Empowering a Maduro flunky would be an unforced error with catastrophic consequences.

Some in the Trump administration believe anyone is better than Maduro, and they think that letting her run things will avoid needing to put U.S. troops on the ground (even as Trump expressed openness to that). Perhaps, but anyone from the current regime will be tainted by their association and probably retain links to American adversaries. Any short-term thawing of relations would be a risk. It’d be better to offer high-level figures amnesty, and a life abroad, if they help with the democratic transition.

Another bad outcome would be if the country falls into total chaos. It’s not hard to imagine various armed groups taking control of swaths of the country amid the power vacuum. This would make the refugee crisis caused by Maduro and his predecessor look relatively tame. Although Venezuela is often compared to Libya, that’s unfair to the millions of Venezuelans who remember living in a relatively prosperous and democratic society not long ago.

Trump offered Maduro several off-ramps. He could have retired and lived a luxury lifestyle in Moscow or Minsk. Instead, he will probably die in prison. It’s an all-time miscalculation.

There are also legitimate legal questions about the operation, though Maduro was viewed as a criminal by both Trump and Biden, who raised the reward to $25 million for information leading to his arrest. The administration says it did not give anyone in the legislative branch a heads up because of concerns about leaks, and they sold the operation as a law-enforcement action. That's a stretch given the extensive involvement of the military, and it’s good for democratic hygiene to scrutinize the decision.

With tough decisions coming and many obstacles ahead, it’s fair to look forward. Yet it’s also fair to celebrate. For years, Maduro was a symbol of the false warmth of Latin American collectivism. Now he should spend the rest of his life in a humane American prison. His downfall is good news.

Again via the Washington Post.