Col (r) Ikram Ullah Khan
There is a famous English quote from Shakespeare’s immortal creation ‘Hamlet’ which goes “there is method to his madness”. It looks like Shakespeare had a prognosis of the US president Donal Trump’s recent commando action in Venezuela culminating in the abduction of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro and his trial in a US court accusing him of sponsoring and promoting narco-terrorism, a bizarre charge which makes one burst into laughter.
However, it makes one thing decidedly clear that no law exists on this planet to restrain the high and the mighty wielding unrestrained powers, and that might is right. The mighty must act and the weak must suffer. The world has been turned into a jungle with the lion as the king and the rest as his vassals.
The claimer of peace President Trump after having lost the most coveted ‘Nobel Peace Prize’ to Maria Corina Machado of Venezuela who, interestingly, turns out to be the opposition leader of Venezuela, took a huge somersault and turned peace into an aggression and invasion of a sovereign country in the blink of an eye. It carries a veiled message for all those who dare oppose the most powerful president of the world’s sole superpower and deny him what he deems to be his inviolable right.
Besides, there are multiple reasons prompting Trump’s occupation of Venezuela with its oil and rare earth minerals topping the list, as Venezuela is said to possess the world’s largest oil reserves with China and Russia being it’s major beneficiary, which Trump couldn’t digest due to obvious reasons as both China and Russia are the arch-rivals and challengers of the US.
Trump’s action sounds a repeat of the US attack on Iraq under the pretext of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) which according to the US, posed a great threat not only to the US but to the entire world as well. The attack resulted in the ultimate arrest and farcical trial of Saddam Hussain culminating in his ultimate crucifixion. This is an eye opener and a clear warning for those countries who dare challenge the US and pose threat to its authority as the world’s sole super power. What would be the possible reaction of China and Russia to counter Trump’s expansionist designs, remains anybody’s guess. Defence and strategic analysts however, are of the firm view that China and Russia wouldn’t go beyond verbal condemnation as president Trump has set a precedent for them to take similar action in Taiwan and Ukraine respectively, and in doing so they would stand justified.
The UN which has virtually become a spineless body, is watching this melodramatic act of naked aggression passively and can’t dare take action and even pass a resolution against president Trump’s action to deter him from treading the path of aggression. It couldn’t go beyond mere condemnation which shows it’s helplessness so manifestly.
President Trump’s advancement doesn’t rest here. Intoxicated by unchallenged power, Donald Trump has avowedly declared to invade any country who refuses to toe the US line. His ambitious plan to make America great again doesn’t end with the occupation of Venezuela. More Latin American countries including Cuba, Greenland and a few more countries even outside Western Hemisphere with oil reserves and rare earth minerals also become his target.
It may be recalled that Trump came to power to make America great again for which he is going to use all fair and unfair means, as according to him, the end justifies the means. Making America great, according to Trump, is possible only if American economy is made the top economy of the world again; and in order to achieve this end, Trump will not hesitate to attack all those countries and occupy their oil reserves and critical minerals which reportedly possess them in abundance.
As for a repeat of Venezuelan type commando action by the US against Iran, defence and strategic analysts are of the view that the US may not venture such an action due to Iranian staunch nationalism and the unflinching resolve of its people to fight back and defend their motherland at all costs, and also due to the huge distance involved which makes it difficult for the US to carry out boot-on ground attack without which vanquishing Iran wouldn’t be possible. However, aerial strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and bunker-buster bombing as it did during 12-day Iran – Israel war (13 – 24 June) last year remains a strong possibility.