#us-military-intervention

#us-military-intervention

Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of cities across Colombia to decry Donald Trump's threats to expand his military campaign in South America into their territory, after last weekend's deadly attack on Venezuela. In Cucuta, a city on Colombia's eastern border with Venezuela, several hundred demonstrators marched towards its 19th century cathedral waving the country's yellow, blue and red flag and shouting: Fuera los yanquis! (Out with the Yanks!)

The unprecedented US military attack in Venezuela and the capture of Nicolas Maduro and his wife set alarm bells ringing for Iran's leadership. Tehran is one of the closest allies of Maduro, who remained in power in 2024 after massive election rigging and is not recognized by Germany or the European Union as the legitimate president of Venezuela. After his dramatic capture on Saturday, Maduro appeared in a New York courtroom on Monday on narco-terrorism charges.

The President does not have the unilateral authority to invade foreign countries, oust their governments, and seize their resources. Under the Constitution, the power to go to war lies with the people's branch. It's time for Republicans and Democrats in Congress to reassert our constitutional role in authorizing military force when needed and holding President Trump accountable before the United States is engaged in another war the American people did not choose.

The world is still processing the nighttime raid on Venezuela by U.S. forces on Saturday, capturing President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, and flying them to New York to face narcoterrorism and drug conspiracy charges. President Trump stated the U.S. would run Venezuela until a transition could happen, aiming to access its oil. Venezuela holds the world's largest proven oil reserves at 303 billion barrels, but because it is mostly extra-heavy crude, it requires specialized refining.

Trump told reporters on Saturday that Maduro was captured after US military strikes on the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, for carrying out a purported campaign of deadly narco-terrorism against the United States. list of 3 itemsend of list He said the US government would run the South American country during a political transition, promising the Venezuelan people that they would become rich, independent and safe.

In a letter announcing her withdrawal from the Hay festival Cartagena, the acclaimed Colombian author Laura Restrepo described Machado as an active supporter of US military intervention in Latin America. The author of Delirium added: No platform should be given or audience facilitated for someone who, like Ms Machado, promotes positions and activities that subject our peoples and undermine the sovereignty of our countries. Imperialist intervention is not something to debate, but something to reject outright.

Remembering that balance in all things is a necessity, Trump made sure to undermine any possible, drug-related justification for U.S. intervention in Venezuela, against the regime of president Nicolás Maduro, by announcing the "full and complete pardon" of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, currently serving a 45-year federal prison sentence after being convicted in a U.S. court of conspiring with cartels to move more than 400 tons of cocaine toward the United States.