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Trump may confront hostile Venezuela
[WASHINGTONEXAMINER] Just as the United States is undergoing a political transition of its own, Venezuela's dubious regime has taken the provocative step of empowering an anti-U.S. hardliner with ties to narcotraffickers and Middle Eastern terrorism.

Many Americans may consider Venezuela's collapsing economy, food shortages, and political upheaval as none of our business. However,
if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning...
 the recent power grab of reputed drug kingpin and Hezbollah ally, Tareck el-Aissami, as Venezuela's vice president poses a clear and present danger to the security of the United States and its neighbors.

President Trump's foreign policy team can convert a potential crisis into an early victory by working with key neighbors to fashion a multilateral rescue of Venezuela, backed up by targeted sanctions against El-Aissami and other corrupt leaders who traffic in drugs and abet international terrorism.
It would be a better, longer-term victory (a fair bit callous, I admit) to let Venezuela collapse thoroughly and completely on its own. Go in now to rescue it and the socialists will claim for the next hundred years that the mess there was all the fault of American imperialists...
Courageous Venezuelans are struggling to save their country through democratic means; but they are confronting a ruthless regime that is micromanaged by Cuba and propped up by sweetheart deals with Russia and China. Senior Venezuelan officials have conspired with Colombian narco-guerrillas and Hezbollah snuffies to amass illicit fortunes and advance anti-U.S. operations. All of these forces benefit from keeping a lawless government in power in Caracas, even as the Venezuelan economy crumbles and a humanitarian crisis grows.


Posted by: Fred 2017-02-05
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=480439