I spent the winter holidays with my sister, family and friends in Germany. We ate, a lot—stollen, cheese, roast venison, homemade tomato and squash soups, freshly smoked salmon, and plenty of black bread. Between bites, we caught up on the lives of our children -some serving their mandatory time in the Bundeswehr, others attending universities in France, Germany, Austria, and Italy. We reminisced about our own youthful adventures and lamented the state of the world today.
In 1989, just under forty years ago, there was an extraordinary sense of hope. The Berlin Wall had fallen, and across Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, people who had lived under authoritarian rule were organizing for freedom. In Poland, years of activism culminated in the legalization of the Solidarity trade union. Hungarians launched mass demonstrations for democracy, and by August nearly two million people across Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania formed a 370-mile human chain during the “Singing Revolution,” calling for independence. Meaningful change finally seemed within reach.
At that moment, I was proud to be an American. I believed that those who had lived behind the Iron Curtain would soon experience freedom of speech and movement and the right to choose their leaders. Never in a million years could I have imagined the reality we inhabit today —though, in hindsight, the warning signs were there starting with Reagan. Now, each day seems to bring another unthinkable action from our current oligarch-in-chief. As of this writing, the most recent example is Venezuela.
I often find myself overwhelmed by the constant barrage of news from this administration. So, I rely on experts to help make sense of it. One of my most trusted voices is Heather Cox Richardson, an academic and public historian whose Letters from an American has become essential reading. Richardson excels at cutting through political noise and explaining complex issues in clear, accessible terms without sacrificing depth.
On January 3rd, Americans awoke to the news that the United States had abducted Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Maduro is unquestionably an authoritarian leader, and Venezuela’s suffering is real. Since 2012, the country has experienced a catastrophic economic collapse: its GDP shrank by nearly 80%, inflation exceeded 65,000% in 2018, and 7.9 million Venezuelans have fled the country. These facts are tragic and undeniable.
Richardson argues that the central issue is not Maduro’s failures but America’s response. She frames the episode as a constitutional and historical crisis for the United States. According to Richardson, the Trump administration’s actions—an unapproved military strike, the seizure of a foreign head of state, and efforts to influence another nation’s governance—represent a sharp break from long-standing legal and international norms. Most troubling is the apparent disregard for the Constitution’s requirement that Congress authorize military action, thus undermining the system of checks and balances designed to restrain executive power.
Richardson places these actions within a broader historical context. She revisits the Monroe Doctrine, originally intended to prevent European colonization in the Western Hemisphere, and argues that it has been transformed into what critics call a “Donroe Doctrine”—one focused on asserting American dominance rather than respecting national sovereignty. This shift signals a retreat from the post–WWII rules-based international order and replaces it with a more aggressive and destabilizing approach.
The administration’s justifications only deepen concern. Any appearance of a unified legal rationale quickly dissolves under scrutiny. The president suggested the United States would “run” Venezuela and control its resources, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio offered vague and shifting legal explanations that seemed designed to obscure rather than clarify the administration’s intentions. Richardson sees this inconsistency as evidence of poor planning and a lack of respect for legal constraints.
Equally troubling is public opposition. The majority of Americans oppose military intervention in Venezuela and believe Congress should authorize any use of force. This disconnect between executive action and public will underscores a broader erosion of democratic accountability.
As Americans we need to confront a difficult truth: democracy does not disappear overnight—it erodes gradually, through ignored norms, unchecked power, and precedents left unchallenged. Venezuela is not only a foreign policy crisis but a mirror reflecting the state of American democracy today.
The hope I felt in 1989 wasn’t naïve or futile. The democratic transformations of that era did not occur spontaneously; they were the result of sustained civic engagement, historical awareness, and moral courage. As environmental scholar and politician David Orr writes, “Hope is a verb with its sleeves rolled up.”
Let’s get to work people.
Heather McIlvaine-Newsad is a Professor of Anthropology at Western Illinois University. Her research focuses on collaborative action for sustainability.
The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the university or TSPR.
Diverse viewpoints are welcomed and encouraged.