Do you remember reading “The Mouse that Roared,” a 1955 novel in high school English class? In the book, the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, faced with bankruptcy, decides to declare war on the United States. The plan was to surrender immediately and then reap Marshall Plan reconstruction cash.

Lately, watching the diplomatic fireworks between Caracas and Washington feels like a geopolitical crisis and a high-stakes remake of Leonard Wibberly’s story that I call, “The Capybara that Roared.” Capybaras are big rodents native to Venezuela.

In the novel, Grand Fenwick’s army is a handful of guys with longbows. Venezuela, of course, has a real military and world-class oil reserves, but the theatre is similar.

When a nation, like Venezuela,with a struggling economy spends its time calling the world’s largest military power an ailing empire it’s looking for a dogfight and to create foreign policy.

In the book, Grand Fenwick accidentally wins because they stumble upon a weapon so powerful it forces the U.S. to take them seriously.

Venezuela has its own secret weapon inviting Russia, China, and Iran to the party, ensuring that a local dispute  becomes a global catastrophe.

It’s the ultimate “don’t make me call my big brothers” scenario, which turned a bankrupt nation into a strategic centerpiece the U.S. could no longer ignore.

The Eagle lost its patience, swooped into Caracas with cinematic bravado,  and kidnapped President Maduro and his wife.

In an action movie, that’s when the credits roll. In “The Capybara that Roared,” that’s when the story begins.

The ousted President sits in a holding cell sh!thole complaining about the food. 

Back in Caracas, instead of planning a counter-strike, Maduro’s insiders frantically mail the U.S. Treasury, a massive stack of unpaid oil well repair bills, a list of crumbling bridges, and a formal invitation to the “Grand Opening of the 51st State.”

The U.S. spoils of conquest include more oil reserves than Saudi Arabia. On top of that, unreliable electricity and broken down oil extraction infrastructure, force America to withdraw.

The oil wasn’t worth 30 million new dependents demanding Medicaid and SNAP benefits – “Peace with Honor.”