I voted against the Iraq War. My fellow Republicans must do the same on Venezuela | Opinion

On Oct. 10, 2002, I cast my vote against authorizing the use of military force in Iraq. I was one of only six Republicans in the House of Representatives to do so.

At the time, it was the most unpopular vote of my 30-year congressional career. But it has come to be my most celebrated. As the U.S. lurches dangerously toward another unnecessary war, I urge my fellow Republicans to learn from my experience and prevent a tragic mistake in Venezuela.

While President Trump has not yet made his decision, it seems that certain officials in his administration have an agenda to use military force or covert action to enact regime change through violent means in Venezuela.

As in Iraq, the people of Venezuela undoubtedly yearn for democracy. And as in Iraq, toppling the government will more likely spark prolonged civil war than a clean transition to friendly democratic governance.

Opposing the invasion of Iraq was not an easy decision. The people of Iraq were suffering under the thumb of a brutal dictator. At the time, anyone who dissented against the march to war was branded unpatriotic.

But it was clear to me that igniting another war in the Middle East was folly. A U.S. military intervention would only result in a quagmire. A destabilized Iraq would not make us safer. Far too many lives — and far too much taxpayer funds — would be lost in the process.

I wish I had been wrong. But, tragically, the war in Iraq turned out as all too many regime change wars before and since have: blood spilled, money wasted and chaos created in its wake. The toppling of Saddam Hussein created the conditions from which ISIS emerged.

There are certainly differences between Venezuela and Iraq, but these should make the decision today all the simpler.

Unlike in 2002, the American public — Democrats and Republicans alike — do not support using military force or covert action to overthrow Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. The people voted for Trump in part because he promised to reject new foreign entanglements.

Unlike in 2002, the blowback of regime change in Venezuela would be in America’s own backyard. Ironically, a destabilized Venezuela would create the perfect conditions for the very organized criminal and narco-trafficking activities that the Trump administration seeks to combat. It could also trigger a new wave of Venezuelan migration.

Above all, unlike in 2002, we now have decades of accumulated wisdom that misguided military ventures, be they outright invasions like Iraq or hybrid regime change wars like in Libya, only lead to catastrophe.

I was one of the first Republicans in Congress to endorse Donald Trump for president in 2016 because he appeared to have learned these lessons. At his Inaugural Ball this January, he wisely declared, “We will measure our success not only by the battles we win, but also by the wars we end, and perhaps most importantly, the wars we never get into.”

Last week, the Senate narrowly failed to pass a resolution opposing the unauthorized use of military force in Venezuela. Only two Republicans — Sens. Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski — voted yes. Other GOP senators may consider such a resolution unnecessary, so long as we’re not actually at war with Venezuela. But experience has taught us that, once we enter a conflict, there’s usually no turning back. That’s why the moment to act is now.

My vote in October 2002 came to define my legacy, for the positive. Years into retirement, I still have constituents and former colleagues alike reach out to thank me for that vote, including those who opposed it at the time.

I write this not to revel in having been correct. I write this because Republicans now stand in the same shoes I did. This is not a partisan issue. It is an American issue. It is a moral issue. It is a common sense issue. We must say “No” to war with Venezuela.

John J. Duncan Jr., a Republican, represented Tennessee’s second district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1988 to 2019.