Final Word from Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Sixteen years ago yesterday, the Vilnius Group of 10 Eastern European countries seeking entry into Nato signed a statement of support for George W. Bush's planned invasion of Iraq. The group took inspiration from the "letter of eight" signed one week earlier by Václav Havel, Tony Blair and others. In that letter, Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction were given as the main reason for urgent action. In his State of the Union address last night, Donald Trump gave socialism and the brutality of the Maduro regime as the main reasons for "standing with the Venezuelan people in their noble quest for freedom." Trump didn't repeat his threat of the use of force, but the Czech government supported the White House's position on Venezuela this week with the full understanding that a military option was on the table. If Trump decided to send in commandos to take out Maduro, the CR would have already given its Havelian seal of approval for the operation. [ Czech Republic Nicolas gang of eight ]