US Generals Questioned on Venezuela, Not a Single South American Seat at the Table
Bloomberg reports on Senate Democrats questioning Trump's pick for Southern Command about Venezuela, fearing another 'forever war.' The irony, of course, is that US foreign policy in Latin America has been a 'forever war' on self-determination since the Monroe Doctrine. From the 1973 Chilean coup against Allende (orchestrated by the CIA, lest we forget) to supporting Contra rebels in Nicaragua,
the US track record isn't exactly one of non-intervention. And now, concern over Maduro suggests merely a costume change for the same old script of 'regime change opera,' while the region's actual stakeholders are nowhere to be seen. These 'concerns' about troops being 'dragged' into conflict seem less like genuine introspection and more like a convenient political talking point, conveniently
overlooking the fact that these interventions rarely happen without a carefully constructed narrative — often featuring a 'humanitarian crisis' or 'threat to democracy' — and the quiet backing of powerful lobbies whose profits are bolstered by regional instability. Perhaps the real question for the Southern Command nominee should be: how many coup attempts are considered too many before we're
'dragged' into self-awareness?