By Atilio A. Borón

The escalation of US aggression against Venezuela seems unstoppable, while extrajudicial executions by US forces accumulate in the Caribbean and the Pacific. Threats are becoming increasingly vocal in Washington, and naval and air blockades are intensifying by the hour. These measures violate the United Nations Charter and international law, but Trump and his henchmen seem determined to do whatever it takes to subjugate the South American nation. It remains to be seen, however, whether with an invasion they want to create their own Vietnam or Afghanistan; in other words, whether they are stupid enough to start another fire, but this time not in distant lands but in the front yard of the United States. European leaders, self-proclaimed defenders of human rights, democracy, and justice, condone with their silence the war crimes already committed by the White House in relation to Venezuela. Other governments, such as those of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China, have increasingly voiced their disapproval of Washington’s conduct and reiterated that both countries maintain a “comprehensive strategic partnership” with the Bolivarian government. But in Trump’s chaotic court circle, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a man with a murky background, a privileged recipient of funds from the Zionist lobby and the arms industry, a sworn enemy of the Cuban Revolution and of any progressive leader or government in the region, and a rabid anti-China figure, is relentlessly pushing for “peace through strength.” For Rubio, the attack should not be restricted to Venezuela; rather, the time has come to subdue all countries in the region. Colombia and Mexico are on the list, as are Honduras and any other government unwilling to reduce its contact with any “extra-hemispheric” power to the bare minimum, as mandated by the new National Security Strategy in a euphemism referring to China, Russia, and Iran.

What is at stake in Venezuela today is much more than the theft of its immense oil wealth. It is a desperate attempt to rebuild the now defunct US unipolarism, in which Washington claims the right to be the global policeman – in fact, the global dictator- and the only power capable of imposing a world order, to whose demands the rest of the countries have no choice but to obey. This is an anachronistic, absurd, and profoundly mistaken reading of international reality, but it is the one that currently prevails in Washington. However, if these plans are not neutralized by other actors in the international system, nothing will prevent the United States from trying out the same methodology it is currently using in the Caribbean in other corners of the globe. For example, by openly promoting Taiwanese independence and supporting its eventual independence with the presence of the Seventh Fleet to deter any attempt by Beijing to recover the rebellious province. Or by blocking or even seizing the Strait of Malacca, which is absolutely crucial for China’s foreign trade. This waterway has the highest maritime traffic in the world, as it is the route for China’s commercial exports, as well as for gas and oil imports from the Persian Gulf and minerals and metals from Africa. A relatively recent UNCTAD report stated that approximately half of international maritime trade passes through the Strait of Malacca each year. Both initiatives, sponsoring and supporting Taiwan’s independence or blocking the Strait of Malacca, would be severe blows to the People’s Republic of China. That is why, in this turbulent international political arena, Beijing must send a clear and resounding signal demanding an end to military aggression against Venezuela. And this requires much more than words. The only option, or perhaps the best option without being the only one, is to emulate what the United States has done and impose a comprehensive maritime and air blockade on Taiwan, but without opening fire or shooting at small boats as the United States did. Because what is at stake in Venezuela these days is much more than its oil: it is the new architecture of the international system and its rules, one of which is that no country, no matter how powerful, can attack another and subjugate it by force. Silence gives consent, says an old Spanish proverb. If China limits its protest to official statements, sooner rather than later the United States will throw all its enormous military might behind subduing the only actor in the international system that, as several official Washington documents state, “wants and is able” to establish a new world order. Consequently, China must act without further delay to prevent Hobbesian nightmare of the law of the strongest from reigning in the international system. The blockade of Taiwan is its only card. Not only to defend Venezuela but also to prevent future aggression by the United States against China. History teaches us that empires become more violent and bloodthirsty in their decline. That is why it is imperative to act quickly and put limits on Washington’s imperial arrogance as it is doing these days in the southern Caribbean and in the vicinity Venezuela.

Diciembre 20, 2025.

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