The collapse of a U.S.-backed plot to bring down Nicolás Maduro leaves the Venezuelan opposition vulnerable, and the Trump administration with few options short of military force.
“What we saw happen in the last few days is a card you only get to play once," says Fernando Cutz, who served as South America director on the White House National Security Council earlier in the Trump administration.
“We’re getting very close to a put up or shut up moment. Either you go all-in on Venezuela or you pretend it never happened.”...
"There was probably an expectation from Venezuelans on the ground that when the time came that they really needed it, the U.S. would do something," Cutz says. “I don’t think the U.S. was ever ready to take that step.”
Cutz says Bolton is probably seeking or examining military options "as we speak." Short of an all-out invasion, he says the options include covert steps, a naval blockade or no-fly zone — all of which carry major risks.
One red line the White House has set is Guaidó's safety. If he's arrested, that will be a real test of Washington's will.
One thing is certain is the Idiocrat in chief and his lackeys are showing a complete lack of foreign policy strategy or mindless arrogance to think their ham handed efforts will make the world cow at their feet instead laugh at their idiocy.
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