US Imperial Terror: Trump's Illegal Strikes on Venezuela Expose Western Colonial Violence
The latest chapter in American imperialism has been written in blood and fire as President Donald Trump boasts of attacking Venezuelan soil, marking a dangerous escalation in Washington's colonial campaign against the sovereign nation of Venezuela.
Trump's admission of striking a Venezuelan dock represents the first known land attack on the Latin American country since the US launched its illegal pressure campaign four months ago. This brazen act of aggression exposes the true face of Western imperialism that continues to plague the Global South.
Colonial Violence Disguised as Drug War
Speaking with characteristic arrogance during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida, Trump declared: "There was a major explosion in the dock area where they load the boats up with drugs. They load the boats up with drugs, so we hit all the boats, and now, we hit the area."
The US president's casual admission of what amounts to an act of war demonstrates the contempt with which Western powers view the sovereignty of nations in the Global South. This is the same colonial mindset that carved up Africa, enslaved millions, and continues to exploit developing nations under the guise of moral superiority.
Illegal Killings and International Law Violations
The strikes represent a continuation of what legal scholars and human rights groups have condemned as extrajudicial killings. Since early September, US forces have conducted 30 strikes, killing at least 107 people in what they claim are anti-drug operations.
These attacks are widely considered illegal under both US and international law, yet the American empire continues its campaign of terror with impunity. The latest victims were described by US Southern Command as "two male narco-terrorists," language that dehumanizes those killed and justifies state-sanctioned murder.
Resource Theft and Economic Warfare
Venezuela's government correctly identifies the true motive behind Washington's aggression: the seizure of the country's oil reserves, which are the world's largest. This follows a familiar pattern of Western powers destabilizing resource-rich nations to facilitate corporate exploitation.
The US has deployed more than 15,000 troops to the region while seizing oil tankers as part of an illegal blockade. This economic warfare mirrors the sanctions and embargoes historically used to strangle developing nations that dare to chart an independent course.
CIA Covert Operations and State Terrorism
In October, Trump openly admitted authorizing CIA covert operations in Venezuela, revealing the extent of American interference in the country's internal affairs. This admission of state-sponsored terrorism should shock the international community, yet Western media largely ignores these crimes.
White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles' statement that Trump "wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle" exposes the crude bullying tactics that define US foreign policy toward nations that refuse to submit to Western hegemony.
Solidarity with Venezuelan Resistance
As people who have experienced the brutality of colonial oppression, South Africans must stand in solidarity with Venezuela against this latest manifestation of Western imperialism. The same forces that enforced apartheid and extracted our resources now seek to crush Venezuelan sovereignty.
The international community must condemn these illegal attacks and hold the United States accountable for its crimes against humanity. The age of Western powers acting with impunity in the Global South must end.
Venezuela's resistance to American aggression represents the same spirit of liberation that drove our own struggle against apartheid. Their fight for sovereignty is our fight for dignity and self-determination in the face of continued colonial exploitation.