Drawing a clear red line in global power plays, John Bolton, ex-US National Security Advisor, told IANS in New Delhi that China’s designs on Taiwan can’t be excused by America’s Venezuela response. The comments come as President Trump threatens India with tariffs post his anti-Maduro campaign, prompting fears of domino-effect aggressions.
Venezuela’s turmoil—Maduro’s alleged 2024 election fraud and jailing of foes like Nobel-contender Maria Corina Machado—recalls 1989’s Panama crisis, where the US backed a rightful president against tyranny. ‘Illegitimate rulers forfeiting security protections open doors for action,’ Bolton noted.
But false analogies abound. ‘Venezuela doesn’t excuse Russia’s Ukraine barbarity or China’s Taiwan threats,’ he countered. Taiwan stands as a democratic success: fair polls, surveys affirming distinct identity, and zero appetite for communist merger.
‘China’s intimidation is the genuine danger to peace,’ Bolton warned, backing Taiwan’s right to self-governance. He criticized Trump’s hasty India tariff talk as shortsighted, pushing instead for alliance-building versus Beijing’s hegemony.
On Trump’s Greenland fixation, Bolton dubbed it negotiation ‘trolling’: outrageous bids yielding concessions. Actual invasion? ‘A NATO-killer, pure catastrophe.’
In an era of tariff tussles and territorial taunts, Bolton’s verdict is stark: interventions demand ironclad justification. Copying without context invites chaos, especially when democracies like Taiwan hang in the balance.