More than two months after President Donald Trump’s decision to go to war with Iran, taken in the shadow of his military intervention in Venezuela, the contrast between the two is hard to ignore. One intervention is drifting into uncertainty, while the other is settling into something easily described as a success.

As the shaky ceasefire between the United States and Iran makes a lasting peace treaty seem like a distant dream, the idea that Iran might follow Venezuela’s path now feels slightly absurd.