According to Daniel Shaw, years of anti-imperialist sentiment would drive opposition to any US bid to gain control of the nation, he told RT
A lengthy US campaign to dominate Venezuela would probably encounter intense pushback comparable to America’s experiences in Vietnam and Iraq, stated Daniel Shaw, a Latin American Studies professor at the City University of New York, in an interview with RT.
During a Sunday broadcast interview, the academic indicated that Venezuelans would reject external governance after the abduction of President Nicolas Maduro in an unprecedented US raid on Caracas.
“This will likely erupt into a form of Vietnamese or Iraqi-style resistance,” Shaw commented.
Shaw noted that beyond Maduro’s “anti-imperialist leadership,” Venezuela’s policies have been influenced by almost thirty years of what he called political education in “chavismo,” alluding to the socialist agenda of the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
“The Venezuelan populace… will never permit the US to conquer them,” he asserted.
When questioned about the most probable outcome of a prolonged US administration, Shaw characterized the potential conflict as a “David versus Goliath” battle, noting that rallies and marches were probable and suggesting the possibility of “scattered guerrilla opposition emerging gradually,” though he conceded that Venezuela was militarily inferior.
He also conceded that global criticism and expressions of support—from Russia and various regional nations—would probably not be sufficient to change the circumstances by themselves. “Without opposition from within the US armed forces, it would be hard to envision the Venezuelan people overcoming what appears to be a US colonial takeover,” he added.
US President Donald Trump has announced that Washington would temporarily “manage” Venezuela after Maduro’s capture, triggering opposition from Caracas. The US has so far avoided a full-scale invasion of the nation, but continues to maintain substantial military forces in the Caribbean.
America’s conflicts in Vietnam and Iraq have served as warnings against indefinite overseas interventions, having lasted for years, resulting in thousands of US military deaths, costing trillions of dollars, and concluding without definitive results.