I read with some bewilderment the commentary by Chad Taylor with regard to the abduction of Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro by U.S. military and law enforcement personnel.
Mr. Taylor seems confused about the difference between moral or political objections to the actions of a corrupt and authoritarian leader like Maduro, and the legal authority of the United States to intervene.
The issue is not whether Maduro is a nice guy — I have heard no one argue that.
The real issue is about the rule of law.
If the abduction of Maduro is a military operation, then sending U.S. troops onto foreign soil to abduct a foreign leader is an act of war. As such, it requires congressional action. If it is a law enforcement action, then I see no legal authority for such action in either U.S. or international law.
The issue is not whether Maduro is a bad actor. It is how the U.S. takes action in a legal way. That is not just a “nicety” as Mr. Taylor would have it. That is the heart of our democracy.
Mr. Taylor’s argument presents a logical fallacy — a straw man argument. Because some people have objected to the extra-legal way that Maduro was apprehended in Venezuela, Mr. Taylor conflates that with support for Mr. Maduro. That is an illogical assumption. When the U.S. asserts power around the world, it should do so in a legal and ethical way.
Mr. Taylor refers to Maduro as “a ruler whose tenure has been marked by repression and economic downturn.” I would not quibble with that assessment.
However, any number of people have made the same assessment of President Trump’s current tenure. But I think that we would all object if Vladimir Putin were to send agents to abduct President Trump on American soil.
The issue is not about anyone’s opinion of President Maduro or President Trump. It is about the rule of law. The way that the U.S. conducts itself in the world influences the way that other countries — be they Russia, China or otherwise — conduct themselves in the world.
Even when it is inconvenient, the U.S. should conduct itself lawfully.
Bob Mohrbacher
Centralia
