Washington, December 15th – The United States government continues to toughen its stance against Venezuela, in an escalating tension that dangerously approaches today a potential military ground incursion with unpredictable consequences.
Last week, the White House imposed new sanctions on Venezuela (this time targeting members of President Nicolás Maduro's family), while President Donald Trump reiterated his threats to launch military bombings against ground targets within the South American nation.
According to a recent article in The New York Times, for Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the strategy regarding Cuba goes through Venezuela.
The interim National Security advisor has long been trying to undermine or overthrow the Cuban government, which maintains close economic and security ties with Venezuela, the article emphasized.
Although ousting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appears to be an immediate goal of U.S. policy, doing so could help fulfill another long-standing dream of Rubio’s: to deal a critical blow to Cuba, the publication added.
“His theory of change involves cutting all support to Cuba,” said Juan Gonzalez, who was President Joe Biden’s chief advisor in the White House on Western Hemisphere affairs, The Times pointed out. “According to this approach, once Venezuela falls, Cuba will follow,” he emphasized.
The newspaper recalled that, in recent months, the U.S. military has amassed a large force near Venezuela. It is attacking vessels and killing people on board who, according to Trump and Rubio—without providing evidence—are trafficking drugs.
Many legal experts have considered these attacks illegal. All of this is part of a campaign to pressure Maduro to resign or to overthrow him by force, a campaign that does not have Congressional authorization, The Times added.
The influential New York paper stated that the Trump administration sharply intensified its pressure campaign against Maduro by seizing an oil tanker in the Caribbean Sea on Wednesday.
Although Trump and Rubio framed the offensive against Maduro as a fight against drug trafficking from Latin America, those who hold a belligerent stance toward Cuba see the possibility of dealing a blow to the Havana government, The New York Times warned.
But Rubio’s approach on Venezuela and Cuba involves political risk for himself—the Times noted—since critics see the threat of costly “regime change” policies that the U.S. has tried and failed.
Among them are some of Trump’s staunchest supporters, such as former White House strategist Stephen Bannon, podcast host Tucker Carlson, and Trump informal adviser Laura Loomer, the newspaper highlighted.
