委内瑞拉危机揭示了什么

Sep 26, 2018 Richard Haass

纽约—《纽约时报》最近报道，美国总统特朗普政府与策划推翻马杜罗政府的委内瑞拉反叛军官举行了会面。最终，美国决策者接受了推翻马杜罗的计划；但不出意外，对这篇文章的反应以负面为主。

平心而论，确实有很要的理由反对美国反对委内瑞拉政变。许多牵涉其中的人员声音狼藉，参与贩毒，人权记录也劣迹斑斑。政变几乎肯定会失败，只能给已处于高压状态的政府新的借口镇压反对者。

另一个选项是由委内瑞拉邻国领衔进行武装干预。它们不堪难民涌入的重负，难民数量已达200—400万，并以每个月50,000—100,0000人的数量增加。如果这些国家能够起到领导作用，将不会有美国领导的军事行动的政治负担。

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Richard Haass

Writing for PS since 2020
136 Commentaries

Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations, previously served as Director of Policy Planning for the US State Department (2001-2003), and was President George W. Bush's special envoy to Northern Ireland and Coordinator for the Future of Afghanistan. He is the author, most recently, of The World: A Brief Introduction (Penguin Press, 2020).

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0 Comments on this paragraph, 14 Comments on this article

Robert O'Regan Oct 2, 2018

If some of you comment-people, living in a go-ahead country where 10% have 70% of the wealth and you are facing the daily dilemma of paying your mortgage/school fees, knew the history of the country you may not be shooting from the hip.
You do resemble a bunch of lab rats looking for the bell to get some more "roundup" infused cereal from Monsanto.
- Robert O'Regan Oct 2, 2018
  
  Astute comment Robert!!
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Per Kurowski Sep 30, 2018

R2P/Rwanda? Already 2006 and 2007, in Op-eds, I had to refer to Rwanda, that’s how late all this is.

2009, I addressed the OAS and its Inter American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) to put forward the case that when gasoline, in a country with so many needs, was basically given away for free, an odious violation of economic human rights was being committed.

In July 2015, I formally denounced that to IACHR, ending my accusation with: “Let me assure you right now, at this moment, the official price of a liter of milk is around 300 times higher than the price of a liter of gasoline ... and if that is not an economic crime against humanity, what is?” ... I am still waiting for a response.

Socialism? Hah! Hugo Chavez gave or spent on the 40% poorest of Venezuela only 15% of what should have been their per capita share of the net oil revenues received by Venezuela. That’s pure unabridged dictatorial crony statism.

https://theoilcurse.blogspot.com/2015/07/cidhdenunciasoas.html
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Krishnan Unni Sep 27, 2018

So you essentially have a situation where the sovereignty of nations and the individuals within them to organize their lives the way they want and take actions to that extent is curtailed under the name of “sovereign obligations”.

You are opening up a crazy can of worms here. The West has been through five centuries of intermittent conflict and two world wars to get to its current picture of relatively stable borders. Nation-states in much of the rest of the world today consist of several groups who have been put together and forced to live together by essentially fate. You are essentially calling for an end to history. Just look at the map of Africa and consider how well the countries reflect the nature of the populations within them.

I mean, what is Ivory Coast and Sierra Leone? Both are countries with essentially European names and identities. To force an Ivorian identity on the various ethnic groups that live there is criminal in my view.

Or Syria for that matter. Or Iraq. Or Pakistan. These are all countries consisting of various ethnic groups that would be at each other’s throats had it not been for an iron fist - represented oddly enough by the Baathism the Left so rails against. Clearly, they have no lost love between them as is evidenced by the situation there. While US action is a convenient scapegoat, it is very much within the agency of the people living in these countries to live and let live.

It is morally wrong for Europeans to continue to try to determine the fate of peoples in countries they have long ceased to have direct control over. Of course, individuals from western countries have an opportunity to ply their expertise and skills amongst communities living in these countries, but then to force them to live together against their impulses is against freedom.

In many areas of Africa and the Middle East, the nation state is little more than a crumbling office and a man with a gun telling people what to do. If you were to really ask people what they would like to do and how they would like to live, you’d be surprised the small extent to which what we call modern civilization and ideas have permeated to these regions.

What you are calling for is a new white man’s burden. I thought progressives were against racism.

Rwanda. Formerly part of German East Africa. The local tribes, together with neighboring nations, should’ve been allowed to plan their nations and arrange migrations. The blame for Rwanda does not lie with Clinton, but with the people who left the place without considering the ethnic tensions prevalent.
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Krishnan Unni Sep 27, 2018

Trump would stay out of this mess - knowing his policies, he would be the last one to start a new war. Most wars start because of a moral call to action - thank the stars for DJT is a amoral schmuck! No more wars on this guy’s watch.
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Krishnan Unni Sep 27, 2018

When will the writer even begin to acknowledge the root cause of the troubles in Venezuela - not the lack of elections or democracy; rather the socialist nature of its economy? Lack of proper elections to be blamed for a country having the world’s largest oil reserves having people eat out of trash cans? Too many holes in the storyline.

Venezuela should be allowed to fail for the simple reason that the rest of the world should clearly understand the true consequences of voting in socialist governments to power. Given the monopoly over political power the Chavistas have, the decline of the economy was far more quick and pronounced; in other countries with socialist politics, the decline is simply spread over a longer period of time.

The US intervening in this mess created by Venezuelans alone will give them the alibi they so require to cling on to power. If anything, Maduro is praying to communist god to get the US to invade somehow. The US should stay out of this mess. At all cost.

Venezuela should be held up as the ultimate advertisement for the welfare state, nationalized industries, government intervention economy and socialism in general.
- camilla alves Sep 30, 2018
  
  Excellent! In Brazil, we are facing an election, which one of the main parties unbelievably still defend Maduro's Government, AND is leading the polls! How can that be? US intervening will backfire in strenghtening the leftist excuses in the region...
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- Michael Public Sep 27, 2018
  
  "socialist nature of its economy?"
  Yes, like all other things socialist it is doomed to fail and will soon join the trash pile of failed socialist experiments like:
  Germany
  France
  Sweden
  Norway
  Denmark
  China
  Australia
  New Zealand
  Canada
  /s
  - Per Kjeldaas Sep 30, 2018
    
    The Nordic countries are not socialist anymore. In many areas they are more free-market than the US. See the movie Sweden: Lessons for America? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq3vVbdgMuQ
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John Patrick Cooney Sep 26, 2018

I am not kidding, but former President Barack Obama might be an excellent choice to head up an International rescue effort for this wonderful country. He has the international respect, left of center politics and innate socialist tendencies to build the bridges necessary to attempt to save the country.
- Amira Halvorsen Sep 30, 2018
  
  Well thought!
  The tragic humanitarian crisis of Venezuela needs respected and admired leaders like Obama, Carter and Norwegian diplomats who are great experts in conflict resolution negotiations. After all, they were the ones who helped broking the peace deal between the Farc and the government of president Santos. Nonetheless, the neighbouring countries and China must get involved in these negotiations in order to stave off this tragic humanitarian crisis that is melting Venezuela and its starved people. The world must ACT NOW!
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- Michael Public Sep 27, 2018
  
  But you have a Machiavellian despot in charge. He would never accept any intervention that compromises his grasp on power.
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委内瑞拉危机揭示了什么

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