CNN has highlighted the significant challenges the United States would face in attempting a regime change in Venezuela. According to experts cited by the network, any new government installed through U.S. intervention would require ongoing support to remain stable, with experts warning of potential chaos or a prolonged struggle to maintain control. The article notes that the Pentagon’s recent deployment of warships to the Caribbean and controversial strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels indicate a growing U.S. military presence in the region.
Analysts suggest that removing Maduro could lead to a fractured opposition and a military resistant to change, along with domestic political backlash for entangling the U.S. in foreign conflicts. The article emphasizes the risks of U.S. intervention, including the potential for long-term instability and the difficulties of maintaining a new government in a politically volatile environment.
Foreign policy hardliners, including Elliott Abrams, argue that Washington’s credibility is at stake. Abrams, a veteran Republican human rights official, told CNN that Trump’s characterization of Maduro as a narcoterrorist and drug trafficker, combined with the U.S. military buildup, could undermine any claims of a ‘new Monroe Doctrine.’ However, the article also notes the challenges of sustained U.S. involvement, pointing to past failures in large-scale state-building efforts such as the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, where American-trained forces collapsed to a Taliban insurgency even before the final foreign troop pullout.
Some Republicans fear that a heavy-handed intervention in Venezuela could alienate voters. A GOP congressional staffer told CNN that the American people did not vote for Trump to draw the U.S. into a sustained conflict in Latin America. The article underscores the complexities of U.S. foreign policy in the region, highlighting both potential risks and the domestic political ramifications of such a move.