It’s a trick question—it was for all those reasons and more. The incursion was what both theorists and screenwriters call “overdetermined,” a situation in which there were possibly dozens of probable causes, any of which could have sufficiently explained the motivations for it.
Why did U.S. President Donald Trump order his lightning invasion of Venezuela and abduct its president on Jan. 3? Was it for oil, as Trump boldly insisted immediately after? To remove a corrupt dictator? To (somehow) curb narcotrafficking? To bolster his immigration crackdown? To posture in front of international rivals? To distract from economic woes, his exposure in the Jeffrey Epstein case, or his declining popularity at home?
Why did U.S. President Donald Trump order his lightning invasion of Venezuela and abduct its president on Jan. 3? Was it for oil, as Trump boldly insisted immediately after? To remove a corrupt dictator? To (somehow) curb narcotrafficking? To bolster his immigration crackdown? To posture in front of international rivals? To distract from economic woes, his exposure in the Jeffrey Epstein case, or his declining popularity at home?
It’s a trick question—it was for all those reasons and more. The incursion was what both theorists and screenwriters call “overdetermined,” a situation in which there were possibly dozens of probable causes, any of which could have sufficiently explained the motivations for it.
And while some Trumpian positions, such as his obsession with annexing Greenl
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