Flounders is co-director of the International Action Center and on the board of the United National Antiwar Coalition.

September 2, 2025 — On August 8, President Donald Trump declared that, on the basis of the discredited and fake “War on Drugs,” the U.S. reserved the option to engage in military action in any country, anywhere. In addition, Trump announced that he increased a bounty for the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from $25 million to $50 million. 

Following these announcements, the Pentagon war machine moved into action and U.S. warships set sail for the Caribbean.

The working class, anti-war, anti-imperialist movement and all movements for social justice and change in the United States have a responsibility to prepare for combating every U.S. war move. Today we must focus attention on the growing threat of a U.S. attack on Venezuela.  

Imperialist diplomacy is built on lies. We have no confidence in whatever any U.S. president says, let alone Trump. But we have no choice but to take seriously the ominous moves announced by his administration and the dire warning from Venezuela. 

The present U.S. deployment includes three destroyers, two landing dock ships, an amphibious assault ship, a cruiser and a Littoral Combat Ship for shallow coastal areas and a U.S. guided-missile cruiser. Some 4,500 military personnel including 2,200 Marines and amphibious assault crews are being deployed.

Whatever the shortcomings of the U.S. forces for overthrowing the Venezuelan state, which has mass popular support, we must oppose any U.S. attack. An assault can still inflict enormous destruction and massacre populations, even if it fails to achieve its objective. 

The U.S. has backed coup efforts, mercenary invasion plots, and other efforts aimed at ousting President Maduro, Venezuela’s elected leader. This included backing the unpopular and corrupt politician, Juan Guaidó, and calling him president of Venezuela in 2019.

Venezuela mobilizes

In response to the warships, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela mobilized its popular militia, in which it counts 4.5 million members, to defend the country’s sovereignty against this potential U.S. aggression.

In remarks to reporters Sept. 1, President Maduro warned Venezuelans: “They are seeking a regime change through military threat … Venezuela is confronting the biggest threat that has been seen on our continent in the last 100 years. … If Venezuela is attacked, we would immediately move to armed struggle in defense of our territory.” He pledged to declare “a republic in arms.” (Al Jazeera, Sept. 1) 

Oil and resource rich 

Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves per square foot in the world — larger than  Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. And Venezuela refuses to bow to Washington’s orders. The U.S. rulers want to get their hands on Venezuela’s rich oil, gas, gold, diamonds and bauxite resources. Regarding politics, U.S. imperialism aims to impede the development of any political or economic system independent of the U.S. corporations and its profits.  

While the liar Trump is trying to sell the military aggression as part of the War on Drugs, it is really a desperate effort to reverse major gains by political movements throughout Latin America. For example, Washington is openly seeking to undermine the administration of President Gustavo Petro in Colombia and Trump himself has imposed 50% tariffs on Brazil. The U.S. aims to impose right-wing leaders in both countries in their upcoming 2026 presidential elections. 

Threat is real  

Since World War II, the United States’ wars, arms deliveries and interventions have killed some 20 million people, overthrown at least 36 governments, interfered in at least 86 foreign elections, attempted to assassinate over 50 foreign leaders  and dropped bombs on people in over 30 countries. (davidswanson.org/warlist)

Despite this slaughter, U.S. imperialism has failed in its major wars against Afghanistan, Iraq, Korea and Vietnam, and in its plans to dismember Russia. The recent Israeli and U.S. bombing of Iran failed to change the government. Despite billions of dollars in funding and the genocide, the U.S./Israeli criminal partnership is failing to destroy the resistance in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon. And Yemen continues determined resistance despite years of U.S.-backed Saudi war, followed by U.S. and Israeli bombing.

These setbacks increased the ruling class’s desperation to secure a “win” for corporate domination, especially in the region that has been under the boot heel of the U.S. empire for some 200 years.

Diplomatic support for Venezuela 

The Sept. 1 issue of Venezuelan newspaper Últimas Noticias  reports that governments of 80 nations have repudiated the presence of U.S. warships in the Caribbean threatening Venezuela. 

The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), an alliance of 33 countries, convened an emergency session to address U.S. warship deployments in the Caribbean. 

The 10 countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA-TCP) unanimously condemned the recent U.S. military deployments.

China has supplied extensive development projects to Venezuela, such as infrastructure and mining and military hardware, including fighter jets. Russia and Iran have supplied Venezuela with essential supplies and with long-range surface-to-air missiles to defend the capital, Caracas.

Protests worldwide

Demonstrations in dozens of cities internationally – from London to Mexico City, Johannesburg to Sydney – condemning U.S. aggression against Venezuela were held on Aug. 30. Such mobilizations must expand and continue, especially in the U.S., where the anti-fascist movement is protesting the Trump regime’s military occupations of Los Angeles and Washington D.C. and the threats against Baltimore, Chicago,  New York and elsewhere.

Mobilizing to defend Venezuela immediately raises the demand to end the blockade, sanctions, and all foreign interference in Venezuela’s sovereign affairs. 

Stop the U.S. military threats against Venezuela!

U.S. warships out of the Caribbean!