U.S. military action against Venezuela also would revive Latin American antagonism over “Yankee imperialism.” Worse, Chavistas might escape blame for their misrule by pointing to their ouster by Washington. The United States would own the results. Washington would face pressure to engage in nation-rebuilding; yet installing a new regime by force would undermine the new government’s legitimacy, as well as those which followed. And the underlying factors which gave rise to the Chavistas would remain.

Lastly, engaging in another war of choice, another conflict which no one could seriously argue was forced on America, would further deform national security policymaking. The temptation to use America’s overwhelming military power already is intense, with routinely ill consequences. The added precedent would benefit America’s foes which, as they grow more powerful, might find useful when dealing with recalcitrant neighbors. Washington would have no credibility to criticize others for following its practices.

Two centuries ago John Quincy Adams warned Americans not to go “abroad, in search of monsters to destroy.” America’s own soul was at risk, he explained. The United States “might become the dictatress of the world” and “be no longer the ruler of her own spirit.”

That is too high a price for America to pay. War has become an all-too-routine response by Washington. President Trump should keep the troops at home when dealing with Venezuela.

Doug Bandow is a Senior Fellow at the Cato Institute. A former Special Assistant to President Ronald Reagan, he is the author of Foreign Follies: America’s New Global Empire .

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