Trump’s Threat Against Maduro Unites Latin America, Against U.S.

Alliance Against Venezuela Already Crumbling

Jason Ditz 

Posted onAugust 14, 2017CategoriesNewsTagsTrump, Venezuela

This time last week, Latin America was united against Venezuela’s President Maduro and his efforts to centralize power under the Socialist Party. That unity appears to be falling by the wayside in favor of a more pressing unity against US intervention in Venezuela.

On Friday, President Trump threatened to attack Venezuela as a way to oust Maduro, and Vice President Mike Pence today insisted the US has “many options” for what he described as “restoring democracy” in the country.

Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos, hosting Pence today, warned “the possibility of a military intervention shouldn’t even being considered,” while Peru, Mexico, and Brazil all also issued statements condemning the idea of attacking them.

Venezuelan opposition figures were warning well ahead of Trump’s threat that this was liable to happen, trying to keep the US from publicly commenting at all for fear it would allow Maduro to paint them as part of a US invasion plot, and cost them international support from the region.

So far, that seems to be exactly what’s happening. Maduro’s opponents are splintering, and his offer to talk with Trump is allowing him to appear like the reasonable one by comparison, while also distracting from internal political strife.

http://news.antiwar.com/2017/08/14/trumps-threat-against-maduro-unites-latin-america-against-u-s/