Utah Tech University’s Institute of Politics held a discussion and dialogue on Venezuela and foreign affairs in the Gardner Student Center building Jan. 27.
This event was the Institute of Politics’ first event this semester. The event consisted of three guests on the discussion panel.
The guests talked about the current conflict between Venezuela and the United States, and also the legal aspect that goes into foreign affairs. The IOP holds discussions and dialogue to engage in civilized discussions about political events, and for students to learn more about how to discuss political topics in a productive conversation.
The conflict
On Jan. 3, 2026, the president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, was arrested by United States forces. Maduro is facing charges of drug trafficking and weapons offenses.
The raid of the arrest left many Venezuelans and Cuban personnel dead.
There is a debate over whether the United States invaded Venezuela to arrest Maduro or if the arrest was justified.
Some argue the U.S. president doesn’t have the power to declare war, and the Constitution gives that power to Congress instead.
Others argue that the invasion wasn’t a deliberate war declaration.
The discussion
The guests for this event consisted of: Tim Anderson, Shadman Bashir and Geoff Allen.
Tim Anderson is a lawyer for the law firm Kirton McConkie. Anderson brought up the legal justification regarding the conflict of the arrest.
“There’s no posse rule outside of the United States,” Anderson said. “Meaning, the military can also be involved in law enforcement. If he had been in Hong Kong or Cairo, or [anywhere] else, they could have done the same thing.”
Anderson was interactive with the audience, asking the crowd to raise their hands if they had an interest in law, encouraging them to get involved with current issues.
“We are right now in a world that is prepositioning itself for world conflict on a larger scale,” Anderson said. “And if you don’t understand that, then you’re very naive.”
Shadman Bashir, executive director of the Office of International Programs on campus, brought a global perspective into the debate.
“International law is different,” Bashir said. “What that means is two countries, two regions, two international entities can meet and say, ‘Hey, this is an agreement, and this is how we’re going to respect each other’s regulations.'”
Geoff Allen is a history and political science professor on campus. Allen brought up the power the president has over foreign affairs and how legal documents outline responsibilities.
“U.S. law doesn’t clearly, under Article II, apply in non-U.S. territories,” Allen said. “That would be a recipe for government overreach in a way that I think most of us would find objectionable.”
Article II of the Constitution outlines the president’s roles, powers and responsibilities.
Student involvement
After the guests had their discussion, the floor was opened to people who attended the event to ask questions.
People who attended the event were encouraged to bring up topics that weren’t already discussed or ask the guests to go more in-depth.
The questions that were asked involved the effects of the economies, the alliances with other countries and how global populations would be affected.
The guest speakers answered each question with their own perspectives and knowledge.
“We are political scientists on how we deal with life,” Anderson said. “How we deal with our families, how we deal with our communities.”
