"It feels like history is repeating itself," warns Nathan Selove, an American scholar of communication and political science at James Madison University, as he reflects on the recent U.S. military operation in Venezuela. For Selove and many foreign policy observers, the forcibly take control of President Nicolás Maduro and the subsequent seizure of Venezuela's oil revenues echo the flawed justifications, unilateral actions, and geopolitical miscalculations that preceded the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
"There's some rhetoric by the Trump administration that is taken straight from the Bush administration, from Iraq," Selove noted in an interview with South, pointing to what he sees as a dangerous replay of America's interventionist past.
The crisis escalated rapidly in January following the military action that the White House justified under narco-terrorism charges. In its aftermath, the Trump administration moved swiftly to assert economic control, announcing that the United States would "indefinitely" direct the sale of sanctioned Venezuelan oil, with revenues funneled into U.S.-controlled accounts.
The White House stated that sales, starting with 30 to 50 million barrels, were intended to maintain political leverage—a plan critics have labeled a resource seizure. This followed President Donald Trump's declaration on January 6 that Venezuela would be "turning over" this oil to be sold at market price.
These moves occurred alongside a broader pattern of U.S. disengagement, marked by an executive order withdrawing support from international organizations. Tensions intensified on January 7 with the U.S. seizure of Russian-flagged oil tankers linked to Venezuela, raising fears of wider conflict. "We've been continuing to destabilize the area. I've been really concerned about tensions continuing to rise," Selove said, capturing the volatility of the moment.
Selove argues that the campaign to legitimize the intervention relies on familiar, divisive tactics. "I'm already seeing media figures, politicians saying things like if you're truly criticizing Donald Trump for this specific action, that must mean that you love Maduro or you are in favor of narco-terrorism." He dismisses this justification as baseless, noting that virtually no U.S.-bound fentanyl originates in Venezuela and that its cocaine exports flow mainly to Europe.
Constitutionally, Selove is deeply troubled. "The president does not have the authority to unilaterally commit an act of war. I would definitely classify bombing another country and taking their president as an act of war," he asserts. By bypassing Congress, he argues, the operation "absolutely disrupts the checks and balances in the United States"—a view supported by legal analyses questioning the scope of executive war powers.
The intervention also represents, in Selove's view, a stark betrayal of Trump's political promises. "He previously ran on ending regime change wars. He was against the Iraq War in 2016," Selove remarked, highlighting a contradiction that has left some supporters feeling "outraged" and "betrayed." This reversal is compounded by a contradictory vision for Venezuela's future, caught between Trump's vow to "run" the country and Secretary of State Marco Rubio's later denial of a direct governing role.
Beyond the immediate crisis, Selove worries about the long-term implications for U.S. global standing. Withdrawal from multilateral institutions, paired with such interventions, means "we can't have influence over the world the way that we used to." He fears these actions are accelerating a shift toward "a new world order in which the United States is not going to be the superpower that it once was."
As the U.S. tightens its grip on Venezuela's oil and confronts the daunting task of stabilizing a broken nation—a challenge reminiscent of Iraq's unfulfilled reconstruction—Selove's warning resonates as a sobering call for reflection. "I really wish that the world would learn these lessons when we force these regime change wars, when we try to force nation building, especially when the intentions are to exploit their natural resources," he concludes. "It's only going to end in disaster." With history's shadows lengthening over Venezuela, America faces a test of whether it has truly learned from its past.
Reporter: Guo Zedong
Text: Guo Zedong
Video Script: Guo Zedong
Video editor: Deng Yingheng
Video Cover: Lai Meiya
Editor: Yuan Zixiang, Ou Xiaoming, James Campion, Shen He,
