Trump’s use of the Unitary Executive Theory to attack Maduro’s Venezuela is controversial. As I see it, Trump’s unusual action has a national security argument in addition to oil. There is evidence to consider.
A quick summary:
- Maduro was expanding his connection with Hezbollah; there was a Hezbollah-connected drone manufacturing operation underway in Venezuela. Funding for Hezbollah’s global terrorist activity is connected to Maduro narco-trafficking. An estimated 10% of Hezbollah’s worldwide operatives are in Venezuela. Margarita Island, Venezuela, seems to be the Hezbollah operational headquarters. Hezbollah terrorism has been expanding in South America since mid-1990s terrorist attacks on the Jewish community in Argentina.
- Please remember that the Hezbollah, Houthi, Hamas, etc., Middle East network is still operating. And Iran is still the “head” of this terrorist snake. Trump 2.0 has acted, and the task is only beginning. Previous American presidents, including Biden and Trump 1.0 and others, had information but didn’t act. Biden tried to deal with Maduro, as we noted in last Sunday’s commentary. Biden failed and, to his embarrassment, had to reverse his policy.
- The Trump 2.0 administration operates under an entirely different structure than the Biden administration or Trump 1.0 did. It’s called the Unitary Executive Theory. It asserts that when it comes to national security, the president uses his executive authority to determine the threat. He can “shoot now and litigate the policy decision later.” Whether James Madison envisioned the possibility of an action along the lines of Trump’s physical extraction of Maduro is highly unlikely, but Madison did outline the policy mechanism of Unitary Executive Theory. Any search on “James Madison on unitary executive theory” returns a long string of resources on that subject. In his book Broken Government (2007), former White House Counsel John Dean wrote, “In its most extreme form, unitary executive theory can mean that neither Congress nor the federal courts can tell the president what to do or how to do it, particularly regarding national security matters” (p.102).
Here’s a reading list and sources for details about the Maduro-Hezbollah connection. Readers can decide the issue of national security for themselves.
“Iranian Strike-Surveillance Drones Are Now Operating In Venezuela” | TWZ, https://www.twz.com/news-features/iranian-mohajer-6-drones-now-operating-in-venezuela
“Hezbollah’s cocaine cash machine runs through Venezuela’s cartels” | FOX News, https://www.foxnews.com/world/cartel-connection-hezbollah-iran-exploit-maduros-venezuela-cocaine-cash
“On Maduro’s ‘terror island,’ Hezbollah operatives move in as tourists drift out” | FOX News, https://www.foxnews.com/world/hezbollah-shifts-operations-closer-us-border-israel-strikes-force-strategic-retreat-venezuela.amp
“The Maduro-Hezbollah Nexus: How Iran-backed Networks Prop up the Venezuelan Regime” | Atlantic Council, https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/issue-brief/the-maduro-hezbollah-nexus-how-iran-backed-networks-prop-up-the-venezuelan-regime/
“The Venezuelan Oil Narrative is PURE THEATRE” | Renegade Resources, https://renegaderesources.pro/p/the-venezuelan-oil-narative-is-pure
“After Maduro’s capture, Rubio links Venezuela mission to fight against Iran, Hezbollah” | Yahoo! News, https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/maduro-capture-rubio-links-venezuela-060817936.html
Related Kotok commentaries:
“Is Cuba Next?” | Kotok Report, https://dkotok.substack.com/p/is-cuba-next
“Venezuela: The Donroe Doctrine Part 1” | Kotok Report, https://dkotok.substack.com/p/venezuela-the-donroe-doctrine-part
“Putin, Maduro, Oil, Defense” (June 2024) | Cumberland Advisors, https://www.cumber.com/market-commentary/putin-maduro-oil-defense
