On Friday, President Trump threatened Venezuela’s authoritarian government, stating that he had a “military option” to deal with them.
On Monday, the Venezuelan government of President Nicolas Maduro put Trump’s comments to great propaganda effect.
Trump’s threat, Maduro said, was one of the greatest outrages “in the history of Venezuela’s international relations.” In response, Maduro announced military exercises will be held at the end of August.
Still, as the Miami Herald’s Jim Wyss reports, Maduro was just getting started. “Venezuelan soil is sacred and it should never be touched by an imperialist yankee boot,” the president said. Maduro added a rebuke to Trump over the president’s handling of the violence in Charlottesville: “Behind the white supremacists is the power that has taken over the White House and the venues where decisions are made by the North American imperialists.”
But then Maduro warned he would investigate “traitors” who have “come out and asked for intervention … and supported Donald Trump’s threats.”
That threat must be taken seriously. As I noted last week, we face the real prospect of a new crackdown on Venezuela’s already besieged opposition leaders.
Regardless, it’s clear that Maduro is using Trump’s words in order to galvanize his base and delegitimate the opposition. Trump made a threat that wasn’t serious, but Maduro is using that threat to consolidate his own power.
The problem for Venezuela’s opposition is that by lending credence to the false narrative that the U.S. is ready to invade Venezuela, Trump helps Maduro make it harder for opposition leaders to persuade independents — especially the junior military ranks — to join their side.
Remember, anti-Americanism remains a powerful toxin in Latin American politics. It’s why, for example, Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chavez made so many references to fake American conspiracies. He knew that doing so would give him political space, while constricting his enemies.
Don’t get me wrong: Trump’s rhetoric and tweets have been constructive on China and North Korea. But not all foreign policy situations demand the same tactics, and the president’s recent words on Venezuela were a mistake. Instead of making unrealistic threats, Trump should focus on tightening sanctions that truly pressure the Maduro regime.
That is the best way to achieve Venezuela’s liberation.
