Penn\u2019s School of Arts and Sciences hosted a panel on the recent United States military intervention in Venezuela on Wednesday as part of its Knowledge by the Slice series.<\/p>\n
The event, titled \u201cVenezuela: Perspectives and Insights,\u201d was moderated by Spanish and Portuguese professor and Director of the Center for Latin American and Latinx Studies\u00a0Jorge T\u00e9llez. Four Penn faculty discussed the future of the country, along with how U.S. foreign policy will affect Venezuelan citizens.<\/p>\n
Drawing approximately 100 attendees, the panel took place in the Blank Forum at the Perelman Center for Political Science and Economics.<\/p>\n
History professor Amy Offner began the discussion by outlining the events and motivations behind the Trump administration’s intervention<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re looking at policies that clearly do not have any singular logic,\u201d she said. She identified multiple \u201ctimelines\u201d guiding U.S. action, including the bombing of alleged \u201cdrug boats\u201d in the Caribbean, the resurgence of a policy advocating for global spheres of power, and \u201cshards\u201d of Cold War policy supporting regime change in socialist and communist countries.\u00a0<\/p>\n Political Science Professor Emeritus Robert Vitalis highlighted that the administration’s motivations could extend beyond its stated desire for Venezuelan oil.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea of the United States\u2019 control of oil is a mirage,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is in fact no more meaningful than saying that policymakers were or are driven by concerns about credibility, power vacuums, civilizing missions, democracy promotion, and the like.\u201d<\/p>\n Offner added that after an unpopular<\/a> immigration crackdown, Trump was searching in Venezuela for a \u201cdifferent theater in which to be able to perform dominance.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s any domestic appetite,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n The remaining two speakers \u2014 senior economics fellow Angel Alvarado Rangel and Political Science professor Tulia Falleti \u2014 focused primarily on the perspective of Venezuelan citizens. Rangel, who is Venezuelan, emphasized the importance of democracy in the country.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cFor Venezuelans, Maduro is not our president,” Rangel said. \u201cThe most popular person now in Venezuela is Donald Trump, the second one is Marco Rubio, and the third one is Mar\u00eda Corina Machado.\u201d<\/p>\n Falleti echoed this sentiment, explaining that while the U.S. attack on Caracas constituted a \u201cmilitary invasion that violates international law,\u201d many Venezuelans in the country and abroad considered it \u201can act of liberation worthy of celebration.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n She stated, however, that a subsequent occupation would be \u201ccolonial and imperial in its style.\u201d Falleti called on Americans to advocate for a peaceful, democratic transition of power in Venezuela.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is imperative that there will be a transition towards respect of civil and political liberties in Venezuela,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Outlining the requirements for such a transition, Falleti urged the Trump administration to disclose the whereabouts of detainees taken by the Maduro regime, guarantee civil liberties and freedom of the press, and allow Venezuelans across the diaspora to travel freely.<\/p>\n She also advocated for maintaining open communication between the ruling and opposition parties, investigating human rights violations committed over the past decade in Venezuela, guaranteeing that there will be no retaliation against former Maduro supporters, and promoting a fair economic relationship between the United States and Venezuela.<\/p>\n Offner said that the White House’s newly assembled Board of Peace, which is currently focused on Gaza, could play a role in the United States\u2019 handling of Venezuela and Greenland<\/a>, which Trump has expressed a wish to acquire.<\/p>\n \u201cThe charter of the Board of Peace is actually not specific to Gaza,\u201d she explained. \u201cIt’s a general attempt to create a new international institution that could claim authority in any number of contexts including Venezuela, Greenland, and who know where else.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n