g this column on the morning of Saturday, January 3, with initial news trickling in. "The facts" are still thin, and some of them will likely turn out to be either incomplete or not "facts" at all, but a few real facts are foundational and not subject to change. Let's go through them:
First, US president Donald Trump's attack on Venezuela is illegal under US law and should result in his impeachment, conviction, removal from office, and eventually imprisonment. Congress has not declared war on Venezuela; therefore Trump has zero authority to wage said war. But he's been doing so at low intensity for months and just kicked it into high gear with multiple strikes on, and the claimed abduction of the titular "leader" of, Venezuela.
Second, Trump's attack on Venezuela is an illegal war of aggression under international law -- and since the Venezuelan regime is a member state of the International Criminal Court, Trump and everyone below him in the chain of command who participates in it are now subject to indictment, arrest, and prosecution for all of the crimes the attack entails.
Third, Trump's attack on Venezuela was entirely optional. There was no plausible, let alone imminent, threat against the United States by the Venezuelan regime that could have served as an excuse for "retaliation" or any plea of "necessity." Whatever Trump's reason for ordering the attack (personally, I suspect it's just another attempt to distract from his long, close, personal relationship with Jeffrey Epstein), those reasons are his own, not "America's."
Fourth, the whole thing is indescribably stupid and evil. US troops' lives are being put at risk. US taxpayers' money is being wasted. And the operation has the makings of extending that risk and increasing that waste by way of reproducing past "regime change" / "nation-building" fiascos such as South Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.
The very best possible outcome of the attack is that the Venezuelan people rise up, overthrow the current regime, and replace it with something more to their liking -- but probably not to the Washington, DC regime's liking. Which they could have done at any time, without Trump's help, had they chosen to.
The more likely outcome is that US forces will install a puppet/quisling regime to rule Venezuela to Trump's (and Big Oil's) liking, then spend years bleeding American blood and treasure into the place before an ignominious departure (with or without formal surrender).
What's NOT likely is that Trump and his accomplices will be removed from office/power, charged under US law, or extradited for trial under international law.
That's a shame. Letting violent criminals get away with violent crimes is an invitation to continue committing those crimes.
So much for a peaceful 2026.
