Military Intervention in The Western Hemisphere: The Challenge of Justifying Intervention Against Venezuela
Abstract
During the twenty-first century, the Western hemisphere has enjoyed relative stability compared to the global tensions faced by the United States during the Global War on Terrorism. One exception to this hemispheric stability is the failed state of Venezuela which has collapsed economically, deteriorated into a dictatorship, and sparked a human rights disaster. After nearly two decades of counter-insurgency warfare in the Middle East, the United States is returning its focus to great-power competition and large-scale combat operations. Accompanying this pivot away from the Global War on Terrorism has been an increase in hostile rhetoric between the United States and Venezuela, to include threats of an American military intervention against the fledgling Maduro regime. While US military intervention in Latin America is not without precedent, a potential intervention in Venezuela is not analogous to previous interventions and may actually create greater instability throughout the hemisphere. This monograph examines two case studies of US military intervention in Latin America and the Caribbean and then compares them to the current situation in Venezuela. The first case, Operation Power Pack, describes the United States' decision to intervene in the Dominican Republic in 1965. The second case, Operation Just Cause, examines the justification to intervene in Panama in 1989. In both of these scenarios, the United States justified its use of military force as a means to protect American lives, defend democracy, and balance against an external threat. Although the overwhelming success achieved in these historical interventions may be alluring to future policy-makers seeking to justify a military intervention against Venezuela, the final section of this paper warns that these interventions are not analogous to a potential US military intervention in Venezuela in the twenty-first century.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 21, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1159137
Entities
People
- Donald W. Irwin
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College