Reid Nelson
@rdgreid.bsky.social
Moreover, this incursion has the endorsement of the leader of the Venezuelan opposition leader, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. That does not justify it in my mind, but it does alter the ground of the discussion to some extent.
January 6, 2026 at 3:41 PM
Moreover, this incursion has the endorsement of the leader of the Venezuelan opposition leader, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. That does not justify it in my mind, but it does alter the ground of the discussion to some extent.
Respectfully disagree. There was zero chance Iraq was going to work. As for Venezuela this time around—just another brick in the wall. Not markedly different from all our other incursions and meddling in our south for which we generally bear little orno consequence. Except a few more Yankee go homes
January 6, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Respectfully disagree. There was zero chance Iraq was going to work. As for Venezuela this time around—just another brick in the wall. Not markedly different from all our other incursions and meddling in our south for which we generally bear little orno consequence. Except a few more Yankee go homes
Dunning-Kruger working overtime here.
January 6, 2026 at 3:30 PM
Dunning-Kruger working overtime here.
I thought he called him because he was scared.
January 6, 2026 at 3:22 PM
I thought he called him because he was scared.
“Files.” How many pages?
January 6, 2026 at 2:11 PM
“Files.” How many pages?
And finally, how does the fact that Venezuela’s leading opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize Winner praised this action affect your conclusions?
January 6, 2026 at 2:07 PM
And finally, how does the fact that Venezuela’s leading opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize Winner praised this action affect your conclusions?
No reason to think we will pay any price of consequence for this particular egregious violation of international law.
January 6, 2026 at 1:31 PM
No reason to think we will pay any price of consequence for this particular egregious violation of international law.
So yeah, there are bad ends to Trump’s actions. But none of them have anything to do with this illegal use of force in Venezuela. As I said, we’ve been doing this shit in our south since at least 1895 on a regular basis and it has only resulted in a few more people shouting “Yankee go home.”
January 6, 2026 at 1:29 PM
So yeah, there are bad ends to Trump’s actions. But none of them have anything to do with this illegal use of force in Venezuela. As I said, we’ve been doing this shit in our south since at least 1895 on a regular basis and it has only resulted in a few more people shouting “Yankee go home.”
Does this help that? No. But it will pass largely without consequence because it has been ever thus. Trump’s neglect of Ukraine is a far greater crisis than the kidnapping of some tinpot South American dictator with much more severe long term consequences for us.
January 6, 2026 at 1:24 PM
Does this help that? No. But it will pass largely without consequence because it has been ever thus. Trump’s neglect of Ukraine is a far greater crisis than the kidnapping of some tinpot South American dictator with much more severe long term consequences for us.
Other than some heightened ill will in the region, this will have no consequences. Just like Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Chile, Grenada, Mexico, and many others did not. The real danger from Trump’s foreign policies lies largely in Europe and the damage to our alliances there.
January 6, 2026 at 1:19 PM
Other than some heightened ill will in the region, this will have no consequences. Just like Panama, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Chile, Grenada, Mexico, and many others did not. The real danger from Trump’s foreign policies lies largely in Europe and the damage to our alliances there.
You mistake my cynical pessimism as an endorsement or a justification. We have been illegally meddling in the affairs of our neighbors to the south for at least 130 years without consequence. What do you think is going to change? What concrete bad ends do you predict are going to happen here?
January 6, 2026 at 1:14 PM
You mistake my cynical pessimism as an endorsement or a justification. We have been illegally meddling in the affairs of our neighbors to the south for at least 130 years without consequence. What do you think is going to change? What concrete bad ends do you predict are going to happen here?
Are you daft? Where have I justified aggression? That’s complete BS. Maybe go find someone who wants to have the discussion you seem to want to have; you know, someone like you who enjoys restating the obvious.
January 5, 2026 at 9:19 PM
Are you daft? Where have I justified aggression? That’s complete BS. Maybe go find someone who wants to have the discussion you seem to want to have; you know, someone like you who enjoys restating the obvious.
By “long dormant” do you mean, like, since Panama in 1989 or Iraq in 2003?
January 5, 2026 at 3:14 PM
By “long dormant” do you mean, like, since Panama in 1989 or Iraq in 2003?
You’ve expanded the grounds. We were talking about Venezuela. How is this invasion markedly different from what we’ve been doing in our S hemisphere at least since 1895? That’s my only point. Again, not condoning the policy.
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bsky.app/profile/rdgr...
It’s hard for me to see this as any sort of departure from what we’ve been doing in the S hemisphere for decades. Either covertly/openly, diplomatically/militarily, we have been unapologetically interventionist: Orinoco River Crisis 1895, Cuba 1896, Mexico 1916, Chile, Grenada, Panama, to name a few
January 5, 2026 at 3:10 PM
You’ve expanded the grounds. We were talking about Venezuela. How is this invasion markedly different from what we’ve been doing in our S hemisphere at least since 1895? That’s my only point. Again, not condoning the policy.
bsky.app/profile/rdgr...
bsky.app/profile/rdgr...
Darker than the Iraq path? Darker than the Iran-Contra path? Darker than the Allende/Chile path? Any analysis here is clouded if we don’t acknowledge the current situation in light of our decades-old interventionist policies.
January 5, 2026 at 2:40 PM
Darker than the Iraq path? Darker than the Iran-Contra path? Darker than the Allende/Chile path? Any analysis here is clouded if we don’t acknowledge the current situation in light of our decades-old interventionist policies.
As there were for Reagan (Grenada, Nicaragua), Bush Sr (Panama), Bush Jr (Iraq). Not condoning, just pointing out that none of this is a great departure from our decades old interventionism. What I do find interesting is watching MAGA turn on a dime to support what they were previously against.
January 5, 2026 at 2:34 PM
As there were for Reagan (Grenada, Nicaragua), Bush Sr (Panama), Bush Jr (Iraq). Not condoning, just pointing out that none of this is a great departure from our decades old interventionism. What I do find interesting is watching MAGA turn on a dime to support what they were previously against.
It only has a chance of ending badly if we try to occupy the country militarily for any length of time. Otherwise, it’s just an another chapter of what we’ve been doing in our S hemisphere at least since the 1890s. Not condoning it, just pointing out the reality
January 5, 2026 at 2:27 PM
It only has a chance of ending badly if we try to occupy the country militarily for any length of time. Otherwise, it’s just an another chapter of what we’ve been doing in our S hemisphere at least since the 1890s. Not condoning it, just pointing out the reality
It’s hard for me to see this as any sort of departure from what we’ve been doing in the S hemisphere for decades. Either covertly/openly, diplomatically/militarily, we have been unapologetically interventionist: Orinoco River Crisis 1895, Cuba 1896, Mexico 1916, Chile, Grenada, Panama, to name a few
January 5, 2026 at 2:18 PM
It’s hard for me to see this as any sort of departure from what we’ve been doing in the S hemisphere for decades. Either covertly/openly, diplomatically/militarily, we have been unapologetically interventionist: Orinoco River Crisis 1895, Cuba 1896, Mexico 1916, Chile, Grenada, Panama, to name a few
“…it is an international system structured by a small group of hyper-elites who use modern economic and military interdependencies to extract material and status resources for themselves.”
Has it not been ever thus?
Has it not been ever thus?
January 5, 2026 at 1:58 PM
“…it is an international system structured by a small group of hyper-elites who use modern economic and military interdependencies to extract material and status resources for themselves.”
Has it not been ever thus?
Has it not been ever thus?
In terms of usage, that phrase falls within my penumbra of seldomality.
January 4, 2026 at 6:53 PM
In terms of usage, that phrase falls within my penumbra of seldomality.
