Venezuela Crisis Raises Alarming Questions For Global Order: M J Akbar

By Saurabh Shukla

New Delhi: The US action in Venezuela, including the capture and removal of President Nicolas Maduro, has triggered a sharp reaction across political and diplomatic corridors. For many, the episode marks a serious breach of established international conduct and raises questions about how far powerful nations are now willing to go to assert their interests. The targeting of a sitting head of state has unsettled assumptions about sovereignty, restraint and the relevance of global rules in moments of crisis.

In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, former Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar reflects on the wider implications of the move from Latin America’s deep-rooted resistance to external intervention to the global consequences for energy markets and political stability. He also points to what this moment means for countries like India, arguing that the crisis offers a stark reminder of the value of strategic autonomy and hard security in an increasingly unforgiving world order.

ETV Bharat: When you first heard about the U.S. attack on Venezuela, what was your immediate reaction as a former foreign minister?
M J Akbar: I think this provocation may have been what it was, but to actually kidnap the president of another country, a recognised president, is tantamount to an act of war. And this will have consequences. The Russians and the Chinese have already made clear that they will respond. But of course, they are limited by the fact that they are not capable of putting their armed forces on the side of Maduro.

The American or Trump's assertion of America's right to control Latin America actually brings us back to a doctrine that was established by America in 1823. The Monroe Doctrine, which asserted simply that America would treat all of Latin America as its parish. This doctrine had gone into abeyance as the post-Second World War world emerged.
And we believed that at least the independence of nations would be preserved and protected by an international order. But over and over again, we are seeing that the international order is vulnerable to those who believe that they have the power to impose their views.

ETB: How do you see the situation unfolding in the coming days, especially with Venezuela’s leadership under pressure?
M J Akbar: We should see whether the Americans can follow this up with troops on the ground or whether this is merely a kind of unique case of abduction of a leader who was unacceptable to Washington or to President Trump. Is this the prelude to an American rule over Venezuela? Will the reaction in Venezuela be an uprising, or will this decision or this act actually reinforce support for Maduro? Because there is a very strong current of anti-Americanism, or what they call American imperialism, within the whole of Latin America. We should see how the neighbours of Venezuela react. It's a very, very provocative move, and we shall have to see what the consequences are.

ETB: Is the United States acting here as a global enforcer, or is it primarily driven by its own strategic interests?
M J Akbar: The temptation to be an enforcer comes largely out of their own understanding of the strategic requirements. And never forget that Venezuela now has the largest known reserves of oil at over 300 billion barrels. Much more than Saudi Arabia, which has 267 or thereabouts. And at some point also this is a battle for the control of minerals in which President Trump has been very consistent. He has actually done a deal in Ukraine for minerals for arms. In Africa, he has come to terms for mining rights in very remote countries, remote at least from the perspective of America's engagement. This is a part of a strategy which is dangerous.

ETB: Are we witnessing a shift back to a world where power overrides international rules and institutions?
M J Akbar: Well, certainly no rules applied in this case. We now have to wait. What will America do next? It is going to keep Maduro in hiding in secret. But how long will it be secret? There will be reactions across the world.
Because if it happens to Maduro today, why could it not happen to other nations? And Maduro had not attacked America in any way. So this is gamesmanship of a very, very sensitive and dangerous kind.

ETB: Could this conflict impact fuel prices or the global economy as well? What’s your opinion?
M J Akbar: It will certainly have an impact on the global economic order. Because now oil is one of the crucial elements. One of the things that I think has been underreported has been the price of oil falling over the last week. Very strangely, very suddenly, did the oil market know something that we did not?
Did they expect now Venezuelan oil to be available at half the rate? We do not know. But these are questions that must be looming before people who are in various ministries.

ETB: Venezuela is rich in natural resources. Do such riches today make nations safer or more exposed to external pressure?
M J Akbar: We have to see whether this is followed up by military intervention or not. And what does the Venezuelan armed forces do next? Much depends on the nature of the conflict. I am sure the American thinking at the moment is that the disappearance of Maduro ends the story. But is it the end of the story or the beginning of a new one? Time will tell.

ETB: For a country like India, what is the most important lesson to draw from this crisis?
M J Akbar: The most important lesson to be learned from this is that there is no substitute for ironclad security. And I think there is awareness in Delhi because some powers are ready to extract a price if they are confronted with independence. But I think it is important to assert because we will not surrender the independence that we gained seven decades ago by throwing the British out.