Way back in 2016, those of us who did not vote for Trump did so because we believed he was not only unqualified but also that he was emotionally and mentally unfit for leadership. Above all, we suspected that he might do something crazy like start a nuclear war or perpetrate chaos in this country. The Venezuelan caper suggests we were correct.
What happens with Venezuela could very well tell us what the state of the union and its relationship to the world will be in the very near future, not to mention the next three years. Things could get out of hand quickly that the United States could not fix. Worse still, the world beyond the western hemisphere might devolve into conflict.
Trump’s increasing willingness to use force and engage in foreign conflicts unilaterally does not bode well.This together with his unpredictability, ignorance of geopolitics and condescension toward other cultures and countries is a formula for war and disaster. Trump’s modus operandi is to sow discontent and turmoil with the belief that he will be able to sort things out to his advantage. Someone should counsel him that he is not running New York; he must be made to understand that the heads of foreign states, large and small, are far more competitive and dangerous than contractors and real estate moguls. And he might profit by understanding that everything does not have a price, and economics, however important, are not always the driving force.
Since beginning his second term, Trump has been everywhere, indulging his personal grievances and intervening in both domestic and foreign issues resulting in lots of changes, threats and promises with few if any substantive outcomes. It’s government by rhetoric. His efforts in Ukraine have time and again been thwarted by his pal Putin, the bombing of the Iranian nuclear works came up short, and the Hamas-Israeli conflict is mired in continued violence and name calling. In the meanwhile, Trump blusters about taking over Greenland, threatens Colombia, insults our long time allies in Canada and Europe and intervenes in elections in Honduras and Argentina. His success might be summed up by his recent bombing of Nigeria, yes Nigeria, a country helpless in the face of American power but a useful ploy to gain support with evangelical Christians. Trump the bully can beat up the little guys but runs from serious threats. This has become the MAGA machismo.
Much depends on how the Venezuela intervention plays out. As columnist David French wrote in the New York Times,“Trump Is Unleashing Forces Beyond His Control.”* The dirty truth is that if the gamble is successful it will embolden Trump in his recklessness across the globe, while failure may provoke adversaries to take military action against American interests in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Either way, Trump’s resurrection of “gunboat diplomacy” could lead to armed aggression across four continents.
The jury is out as to whether Republicans in Congress and sober-minded world leaders will step up to stop the mayhem.
* https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/opinion/trump-venezuela-maduro-clausewitz-aquinas.html