Maduro’s arrest and the return of American gunboat diplomacy

THE unprecedented kidnapping in the world annals, in the manner in which it took place, of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro constitutes not only a military intervention in a sovereign and independent country in violation of the principles of international law, but also constitutes a clear warning to the entire planet.

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Gavin Thomson and Dave Gomersall

(AFP)

A warning to every insubordinate leader of any country.

Already on January 3, during a press conference he gave regarding the military operation and arrest of Maduro, US President Donald Trump issued threats against Colombian President Gustavo Petro, stating: "He would do well to be careful."

At the same time, the US president hinted that Cuba could be a topic of discussion within the context of broader US policy in the region, highlighting Washington's ability to expand its focus beyond Venezuela. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio even said that the Cuban government should be worried after Maduro's arrest. Specifically, he said: "If I lived in Havana and was a member of the government, at least I would be worried," adding that "Cuba is a disaster" and that the country is "run by incompetent and depraved men."

The history of the US, moreover, is characterised by extensive imperialist interventions, both territorial and interventionist in other countries.

Specifically, there have been approximately 400 interventions since 1776, when the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, declaring the independence of the 13 American Colonies from the British Empire, an event that marked the official founding of the United States of America.

Who can forget that from April 15 to 19, 1961, 1 400 anti-Fidel Castro fighters, trained and financed by the CIA, attempted to land at the Bay of Pigs, 250km from Havana, but failed to overthrow the Cuban communist regime. These battles resulted in the deaths of about a hundred people on each side.