‘Sic Semper Tyrannis:’ Maduro’s Capture Is Both Strategically and Morally Justified

‘Sic Semper Tyrannis:’ Maduro’s Capture Is Both Strategically and Morally Justified

The brilliantly executed U.S. strike against Venezuela resulted in the capture of its illegitimate President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who had been indicted in a U.S. court on various charges, including narco-terrorism and conspiracy to possess weapons and other destructive devices against the United States.

Overwhelming numbers of liberty-minded people across the globe are rejoicing at the prospect of freedom, prosperity, and stability brought about by Maduro’s arrest.  As a survivor of Communism, I, too, feel elated to witness the end of an especially brutal regime that impoverished and enslaved a once-thriving nation. When communism collapsed in my native country of Bulgaria, we joyfully gathered in front of the U.S. Embassy and chanted “USA! USA!”

The recent U.S. strike is indicative of another important statement made by President Trump’s foreign policy. Some popular influencers use the cover of national interest and “isolationism” to attack and discredit any international intervention by our country. Trump’s position, however, is one of principled realism and informed patriotism.

In defending American interests, Trump’s administration also supports strategic allies like Israel and safeguards the ideals of Western civilization. This includes operations that protect American peace and security, such as those against Iran’s nuclear arsenal and now against Venezuela’s narco-terrorism.

It is not just strategic interest and Realpolitik that motivate the current international policy decisions. It is also the commitment to liberty and quintessential American principles. Dennis Prager often reminds us that “America first” does not mean “America only.”

If it hadn’t been for the American intervention, South Korea would not exist today as a thriving and free society. It would have been devoured instead by the North Korean regime, whose barbarous elimination of human rights and ubiquitously imposed starvation illustrate what the natural progression of totalitarian socialism looks like. Hopefully, Venezuela has now been spared such a fate.

Margaret Thatcher famously remarked that in America she felt as if she were at “the heart of the free world.” This is radically different from fighting forever wars or exporting woke ideology to Islamic countries. In defending her strategic interests, America also secures the values and the very existence of Western civilization.

In his “Farewell Address to the Nation,” President Reagan remarked:

Common sense also told us that to preserve the peace, we’d have to become strong again after years of weakness and confusion. So, we rebuilt our defenses, and this New Year we toasted the new peacefulness around the globe…. [O]ne of the things I’m proudest of in the past 8 years [is] the resurgence of national pride that I called the new patriotism…. An informed patriotism is what we want.

Nora D. Clinton is a Research Scholar at the Legal Insurrection Foundation. She was born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria. She holds a PhD in Classics and has published extensively on ancient documents on stone. In 2020, she authored the popular memoir Quarantine Reflections Across Two Worlds. Nora is a co-founder of two partner charities dedicated to academic cooperation and American values. She lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and son.

Donations tax deductible
to the full extent allowed by law.