With Donald Trump conducting a raid on Venezuela and capturing the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, Council on Foreign Relations President Mike Froman appeared on Fox News to discuss it and what this attack means to other countries with which the United States does not share a strong relationship.
When asked what the attack meant for American adversaries, Froman cited Iran, saying, “There’s no doubt that Ayatollah was watching this as well, as would the senior leadership of the Iranian terror forces, the IRGC. They would have seen that when President Trump says, ‘I’m going to be serious about protecting things that matter to America,’ he absolutely means it.”
He then added, “And just like with Operation Midnight Hammer against Iran, he now has gone and taken a narco-terrorist out of Venezuela and brought him to the United States for prosecution. They can certainly see that this is a president that’s serious about taking care of the things that matter to the American people.”
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The interviewer then asked about the implications of this attack on Venezuela for other countries, to which Froman said, “Well, every country of course is different, but I think as the Secretary of State said yesterday, if you were Cuba or maybe even Colombia, you would have concerns. Given the importance that this administration’s placed on the Western Hemisphere, Iran’s a bit different.”
Froman continued, “I mean, the president has obviously demonstrated his willingness to use force against Iran and threatened it again recently, and I think the Iranians need to take that seriously. What it would mean for the U.S. to go in and protect protesters in Iran, which is much further away, where we have much less intelligence capability, much less military capability right there on the edge, is another issue.”
Interestingly, Froman repeatedly brought up Iran, which clearly solidified America’s stance. He then continued talking about Venezuela, saying, “From the Washington Examiner, a welcome end to the Maduro regime by enforcing a modern Monroe doctrine with real consequences, Trump has shown that American leadership still matters in the Western Hemisphere.”
He then added, “Removing Maduro dismantles a criminal regime, blocks Chinese expansion, and reasserts U.S. resolve to defend democratic sovereignty close to home.”
It should be noted that while Trump and his administration claim to have raided Venezuela over suspicions of drug and terrorist activities, the move has been criticized, with allegations that the U.S. conducted the attack for its own interests related to oil. Moreover, the fact that Congress was not aware such an attack would occur further complicates the situation.
In the Fox News interview, Froman was also asked how the attack would affect America, especially regarding the drug situation, to which he replied, “Well, I don’t think anybody’s going to cry tears for Maduro’s departure, even if there’s a debate over uh the process and the legality of the strike, per se.”
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He then added, “Most of the drugs coming out of Venezuela were going to Europe, not to the United States. You notice in the indictment of Maduro, there’s no mention of fentanyl at all. There was cocaine going elsewhere. But certainly the president has made clear that it’s part of the Trump corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.”
Froman then continued, “We want a peaceful, secure set of countries in our own hemisphere surrounding us and sees Venezuela, particularly with its oil reserves, as being of great national significance to U.S. national interest. Trump foreign policy is fascinating. He has been against so-called stupid wars and yet he was very aggressive in going after Iranian nukes and then very aggressive in going after Nicolás Maduro.”
Froman’s interview made it clear that although Trump has sought the Nobel Peace Prize and has claimed to have stopped multiple wars during his second term as U.S. president, he would not hesitate to resort to violent means whenever he feels it is necessary, and that such actions would be justified in the country’s name.
