Faith & Politics // Legal Watch

Empire, Oil, and the Gospel: An Australian Response to the Venezuela Intervention

The events of January 3, culminating in the US military operation to capture President Nicolás Maduro and the subsequent announcement that Washington intends to "run" Venezuela, have sent shockwaves through the geopolitical landscape. While many across the world breathe a sigh of relief at the end of a dictatorship, we in the Australian Progressive Christian community must pause. We must look beyond the headlines of "liberation" and ask the difficult questions about law, justice, and the seductive power of Empire.

As followers of Jesus, we are called to hunger and thirst for righteousness—not just personal piety, but systemic justice. The prompt removal of a dictator does not automatically bless the hands that removed him, especially when those hands are guided by a doctrine of "might is right."

The "New Monroe Doctrine" vs. The Rule of Law

The recent analysis emerging from New Zealand serves as a prophetic warning for us in Canberra. The National-led coalition across the Tasman—much like our own leaders here in Australia—has spent recent years pivoting closer to Washington, seeking security in the shadow of a superpower. But Trump’s unilateral action in Venezuela exposes the spiritual and legal hollowness of that strategy.

The Legal Breakdown:

From a legal perspective, this intervention is a catastrophe for the "rules-based global order" that Australia so frequently champions:

• Violation of Sovereignty: The UN Charter is a covenant between nations designed to protect the weak from the strong. By bypassing the Security Council without a direct threat to international peace, the US has violated the core tenet of Article 2(4).
• Illegal Act of War: Unilaterally removing a head of state is an act of war. Without the sanction of the US Congress or the UN, this action sits outside the framework of both US federal law and international law.
• Resource Colonialism: The explicit mention of US companies "reviving" the oil industry transforms this from a security operation into a resource grab.

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López issues a statement condemning the United States' aggression against Venezuela. (Source: teleSUR)

As Christians, we believe in the rule of law because it curbs the sinful impulse of the powerful to dominate the powerless. When a superpower decides it can rewrite boundaries to secure "access to the world’s largest known oil reserves," we are witnessing a return to colonialism, dressed in the guise of security.

The Idolatry of "America First"

Donald Trump’s declaration that the US will "run" Venezuela until a "safe transition" occurs is chilling. It echoes the colonial arrogance of the 19th Century, where great powers carved up the world into spheres of influence—a "New Monroe Doctrine."

Theologically, this is a manifestation of Empire. In the biblical narrative, Empire (whether Egypt, Babylon, or Rome) always seeks to secure its own prosperity at the expense of the periphery. The explicit mention of US companies participating in the oil revival betrays the true motive: Mammon.

"We cannot serve two masters. We cannot claim to uphold a gospel of peace while blindly cheering on an ally that treats sovereign nations as resource colonies."

A Moment of Reckoning for Australia

Our neighbours in New Zealand are facing a "moment of reckoning," and Australia is in the exact same boat. We have spent decades intertwining our military and foreign policy with the United States, assuming shared values. But as the events in the Caribbean show, the "America First" agenda shares little DNA with the beatitudes.

If Australia remains silent—or worse, offers a lukewarm statement expecting "all parties to act in accordance with international law" after the law has already been shattered—we become complicit.

The Christian Response

The temptation to celebrate the fall of a "bad man" like Maduro is strong. But as St. Paul reminds us, we must not do evil that good may come. Restoring democracy at the barrel of a foreign gun, lubricated by the promise of oil contracts, is not justice. It is just the latest turn of the wheel of Empire.

We must urge the Australian government to break step with the US on this issue. True friendship involves telling your friend when they are wrong. We need a foreign policy that is independent, principled, and rooted in the equal dignity of all nations.

A Prayer for Justice

"God of all nations, we pray for the people of Venezuela. Protect the vulnerable, comfort the fearful, and guide them toward true self-determination. We pray for the leaders of the world, that they may turn from the worship of power and profit to the pursuit of justice. Grant our own nation the courage to speak truth to power, remembering that true peace is never built on the foundations of empire. Amen."

“He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly.”

Luke 1:52