Image by Dominik Vanyi.

The inherent fallacy of the political scientist is that she cannot test her theory. There are, of course, no controlled experiments (unless you’re running a country like an economic laboratory for neoliberal policies. See Chile 1973). Thus, making hypotheses or predicting the outcome in politics is a fool’s game. However, you can count on a constant reality in the game of geopolitics—self-preservation through pragmatic politics that secure a State’s national interests, or what is known as realpolitik. While made infamous by the notorious “statesman” (read war criminal) Henry Kissinger, pragmatism has helped preserve more States than ideology has throughout history. States, as systems of control and centralized power operated by an elite class, seek self-preservation above all. While ideology can help to win over a populace for more effective governance, geopolitics requires a pragmatic approach in a landscape dictated by force. In other words, politics has always been a game of power and nothing else.

While it is hard to determine the true geopolitical strategy behind Operation Absolute Resolve, which brazenly abducted the sovereign president of Venezuela, we can take a look at patterns and trends over the last few years, as well as the current geopolitical landscape, to deduce the pragmatic politics behind the assault. Setting aside the rhetoric from the White House as political posturing and saber-rattling, we can analyze what Operation Absolute Resolve accomplishes for the U.S. empire in the current moment. Beyond the immediate short-term goals of resource extraction and control, a closer look at what this operation does for the US on multiple fronts helps one better understand its move in the game of geopolitics. While the US is undoubtedly the world’s most influential rogue state, as it unapologetically prioritizes its interests over International Law in shaping the world order, it does not act irrationally. Instead, the US empire acts through strategic, well-calculated measures to preserve corporate and military interests. Whenever the US engages in open violations of International Law, such as the strikes in Libya, invasion of Iraq, bombing of EL Salvador, and so many others, we can assume it does so weighing the consequences of international blowback with the geopolitical and economic benefits it would gain.

The following interventions outline some of the main areas in which the US empire has benefited following Operation Absolute Resolve. It situates this operation within the current geopolitical landscape and asks: What are its long-term........

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