Jeffrey Sachs On US Action In Venezuela, Regime Change And Oil Politics: “They Do Kidnap Presidents”

India Today’s Geeta Mohan spoke with Jeffrey Sachs on US President Donald Trump’s statements on Venezuelan oil and the dramatic US action against President Nicolás Maduro. Sachs questioned claims that the operation was solely about narcotics, arguing it reflected long-standing regime-change ambitions tied to power and resources. He said he anticipated violent US action, citing past precedents, including the CIA’s kidnapping of Haiti’s President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Sachs noted Trump had openly discussed invading Venezuela as early as 2017, adding that the episode raises serious concerns about international law, sovereignty, and whether the US judiciary will act independently in such cases.