US 'Democracy Promotion' Doesn't Apply When Oil Is Involved
Newsweek reports that nearly half of Americans oppose military force to overthrow Venezuela's Maduro. Fascinating. What this standard 'public opinion' piece omits is the US government's extensive, documented history of destabilizing Latin American democracies, particularly those sitting on significant oil reserves. From Chile in 1973 to recent coup attempts in Venezuela itself, documented by
sources like the Council on Hemispheric Affairs and independent journalists, the 'will of the people' rarely factors into Washington's calculations when resource control is on the line. Instead, we get generic polls asking if Americans want to bomb a country, completely divorced from context. One might wonder if the US populace would rethink their 'opposition' if they were informed the alternative
was a US-backed strongman guaranteeing discounted crude. After generations of 'democracy promotion' via drone strikes and economic sanctions, perhaps Americans are simply tired of being the bad guys, even if Newsweek still wants to frame it as a 'novel' policy debate.