“Where is America going”, asked a senior former diplomat taking stock of Trump’s high profile “capture” (some would say kidnap) of the Venezuelan president and his publicly declared plans for its future.
“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” Trump said at a briefing at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
“But this is reminiscent of what colonial powers used to do,” said the former diplomat, pointing to the “cutting up nations, societies, killing or deposing local rulers as they willed, is this what the 21st century is going to be about,” he wondered.
What about India? The statement from the External Affairs Ministry made it clear Delhi was not going to stick its neck out for Maduro.
It said “Recent developments in Venezuela are a matter of deep concern. We are closely monitoring the evolving situation. We call upon all concerned to address issues peacefully through dialogue, ensuring peace and stability of the region.”
As another diplomat pointed out, if India criticised Trump “he might turn on us and God knows what he could do.”
Trump’s motivations are no secret, he wants to make money and Venezuela is about that.
“We’re going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country. ”
US oil companies have not commented on Trump’s plans but American refineries were originally built to process Venezuela’s heavy, sticky sludgy oil to produce diesel, asphalt and other fuels. The sense is they have been sounded out and are willing.
They would make money but so would Trump, money for himself, his family, his business not to mention his friends. And Maduro’s friends and neighbours in the region have largely kept quiet.
Those like the Colombian President Gustavo Pedro, who described the US operation as an “assault on sovereignty”, have already received a broadside from Trump in the crudest terms: “He’s making cocaine and they’re sending it into the United States, so he does have to watch his a**.”
Thirty eight years in journalism, widely travelled, history buff with a preference for Old Monk Rum. Current interest/focus spans China, Technology and Trade. Recent reads: Steven Colls Directorate S and Alexander Frater's Chasing the Monsoon. Netflix/Prime video junkie. Loves animal videos on Facebook. Reluctant tweeter.
