Trump 'Escalates Pressure' 5 Years After Failing to Oust Maduro
The New York Times reports Donald Trump is once again 'escalating pressure' on Venezuela, implying a fresh, strategic move against Nicolás Maduro. What they won't prominently feature is that this is the same 'pressure' playbook he ran for four years previously, which failed to dislodge Maduro. The supposed 'endgame' was never clear because the U.S. strategy has consistently prioritized
destabilization over any actual democratic transition—a playbook well-worn since the Bush era, continuing under Obama, and perfected by Trump. Instead of genuinely questioning this recycled policy, the media frames it as a new development, ignoring that previous attempts—like recognizing Juan Guaidó as the legitimate leader in 2019—crumbled without effect. This cycle of 'escalation' against
sovereign nations, often driven by oil interests or ideological fervor, has achieved little beyond poverty and chaos for the Venezuelan people. How many times does a policy have to fail before the media stops pretending it's novel foreign policy?