Ireland, A Bourgeois Circus (Part V): Response to the Situation in Venezuela/Foreign Policy

The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Helen McEntee, posted on X (formerly Twitter) in response to the ongoing situation in Venezuela. The US has launched an unlawful military operation in Venezuela. Caracas has been bombed by airstrikes and the President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, has allegedly been arrested on the 3rd of January 2026. The arrest was claimed by President Donald Trump in a post on his social media site, Truth Social. The following is the response:

"In response to the rapidly evolving situation in Venezuela, I have been in contact this morning with EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas. I will remain in close contact with EU colleagues as the situation evolves.

Ireland, together with our EU partners, underlines the absolute necessity of full respect for international law and the principles of the UN Charter. While we have been clear that President Maduro does not have any democratic legitimacy, we have consistently called for a peaceful and negotiated transition in Venezuela, and have supported all international efforts to that end.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is monitoring the consular situation, in coordination with EU partners on the ground."

The Irish Government is always quick to refer to the necessity of obeying "international law" the moment an international crisis arises. Yet it refuses to condemn the nations which constantly disobey it, or does so in an utterly meaningless way, in this case the United States.

This can similarly be seen in the Irish Government's pathetic response to Israel's genocide in Gaza. While recognising the State of Palestine and constantly reiterating Ireland's support for the people of Gaza, the Government continues to delay the passing of the Occupied Territories Bill, which would completely ban the importation of goods from the illegal Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory. I discussed this in a previous article.

This yet again highlights the Irish Government's refusal to place capitalist interests on the line to stand up for the international law it supposedly fights to uphold. Similar to the genocide in Gaza, genuine support for the victims of rogue states that disobey international law and the UN Charter, such as Israel and the United States, would come with financial implications for the capitalist ruling class and the Irish state.

As Ireland is heavily reliant on taxation from US multinationals, any opposition to US imperialism, such as the situation in Venezuela, would almost certainly (as demonstrated by the US in the past threatening huge tariffs on the EU due to court rulings in the EU on US tech firms. This demonstrates how quickly the US threatens tariffs for actions it deems as an attack on its interests.) result in the increase of tariffs imposed on Ireland, possibly resulting in many companies leaving Ireland. This would lead to the loss of one of the largest sources of Government revenue (22% of tax collected in 2024) as well as losses for the capitalists. This shows the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael parties' true priorities which are of course the maximisation of revenue and the protection of the capitalist ruling class, not the protection of international law and human rights.

Reforms of the capitalist system are not enough as this profit-seeking nature is a systemic issue. The main priority of capitalism is profit generation, not the improvement of human life or the protection of human rights.

To replace this system with one that does not prioritise profits is the only viable alternative. The ruling class does not care for human rights if they come in the way of their profits. The only way for the rights of every human on this planet to be respected and to put an end to the needless suffering caused by capitalism is the proletariat revolution in which we rise up and overthrow the ruling class and demolish the old, capitalist society and establish a new, socialist society in which the workers are not exploited by a parasitic ruling class, but rather one in which we collectively work for the common good of humanity.

In Solidarity,

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