Venezuela: A "Splendid Little War"? Or Something Else..?

"I desire to see America fashioned into the greatest nation in the world, greatest not so much by virtue of her area and wealth as by her freedom and glory."

There's a quotation for you. It might seem fitting as a cheer for the latest expansionist foray of the current MAGA regime (until recently the "no-more-foreign-wars" people). But this statement wasn't made by any of the present rulers of the United States, even though it wants to associate "America" with "greatness," and aspires to "America" becoming "the greatest nation in the world."

Every red-blooded patriotic American wants that. Right?

Nevertheless, these words were not written by MAGA or by any previous political party or movement or any citizen in the history of the United States.

In fact, these words are a translation. From Spanish.

And they were written by a man named Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar Palacios Ponte y Blanco, a native of Venezuela and champion of Venezuelan independence and of Latin America as a whole (which is what he meant by "America").

Behind the "iconic" figure of Simon Bolivar as The Liberator, or "the George Washington" of Hispanic America, there stands a complex political and personal figure — a reformer, a democrat, an idealist, and (when he deemed it necessary) a dictator: a man of the Enlightenment, a Freemason and a "bad Catholic" who received the last sacraments before his death and who — more often than not — favored the presence of the Catholic faith in the lives of the Hispanic people.

Simon Bolivar lived a brief stormy life, full of military and political activity, founding states in South America, fleeing failed states and refounding others, fighting wars, writing constitutions, dreaming of a future federated republic encompassing all of (Hispanic) America, and searching for practical government policies to bring it about.

The Latin American political landscape remains tumultuous and complicated to this day, so that it's not surprising that Bolivar is claimed as the inspiration of everyone from Hugo Chavez and the criminally corrupt Chavista regime (that was not overthrown in last weekend's "military operation" in Caracas) to once-again slighted opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez — her candidate who won the 2024 presidential election only to have it shamelessly stolen by Maduro and the Chavista gang.

Truly, Venezuela has suffered tremendously in recent years. But now the USA has invaded the capitol city and captured its president by a unilateral military intervention. It has carried out an aggressive act of war against a foreign nation without regard for the requirements of international law. The U.S. regime appears to be expanding the scope of its reckless and confusing actions over the past year regarding both domestic and international affairs. On the other hand, Nicholas Maduro really is a "bad guy" who was destroying his own country and much else besides. His departure is welcome news to millions of Venezuelans. But what happens now? What does the United States intend to do for the people of Venezuela? What can it do?

Right now, Maduro’s Vice-President has taken his place, and the whole Chavista organization remains in control of the government. Yet we have been told that the United States regime is going to "run" Venezuela, with the cooperation of the Chavistas, who presumably will keep the natives under the heels of their boots while we "drill-baby-drill" in the world's largest oil reserves. But (we are told) this is not just about ruthless exploitation of the raw materials of a vulnerable Latin American country. Broad assurances have been given that Venezuela will be rebuilt, reorganized, reformed, and restored as a thriving democracy... after an "undetermined period" of Yankee tutelage.

Forgive my cynicism, but it would appear that the United States is back in the business of "nation-building" — once again without a coherent plan, in a place it knows nothing about, with no idea of the needs of the people who live there, or the complex terrain of their land, or these people's own proud national history.

Simon Bolivar must be turning over in his grave.

How will it all unfold? Who knows? One thing is sure: Anglo-America has plunged into a full-on, long term engagement with Hispanic America. So much for building walls. Might something good come out of this? Perhaps — after more violence and painful lessons learned and humble conversion of many hearts — it will be changed into a genuine collaboration, the beginning of a new experience of solidarity that this hemisphere so desperately needs.