A 2019 warning by Tulsi Gabbard cautioning against U.S. military action in Venezuela has gone viral following the arrest of former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, reviving debate about the dangers of regime-change wars.
In the resurfaced post, Gabbard — now serving as Director of National Intelligence — argued that U.S. intervention in Venezuela would be "disastrous," warning it would inflict mass suffering on civilians while escalating regional instability and threatening U.S. security interests.
"The U.S. should not be in the business of intervening in Venezuela and picking who should lead the country," Gabbard said in the reshared video. "And we certainly should not be threatening military action.
"The U.S. needs to stay out of Venezuela and let the Venezuelan people determine their own future."
She added that history showed U.S.-led efforts to topple foreign governments frequently result in chaos rather than lasting democracy.
Gabbard specifically warned that military intervention would likely trigger civil war and prolonged violence, criticizing what she described as Washington's tendency to pursue "wasteful, counterproductive regime-change wars under the guise of humanitarianism."
Her comments were made during Venezuela's 2019 political and humanitarian crisis, when the U.S. backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó in an effort to remove Maduro from power. A combat veteran of the Iraq War, Gabbard has long opposed foreign intervention, citing the consequences of past U.S. actions in the Middle East.
The post has drawn renewed attention following Maduro's arrest and transfer to the United States to face narcotics and terrorism-related charges.
Critics online argue the warning "didn't age well," while others say recent events underscore Gabbard's long-standing concern that removing authoritarian leaders by force often leads to instability, prolonged conflict, and unintended consequences.
As uncertainty surrounds Venezuela's political future, the resurfaced comments have reignited debate over whether U.S. foreign policy has adequately learned from the outcomes of previous regime-change operations.
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