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WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES
Last August, at a meeting in the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump asked a question that frightened his advisers: given that the situation in Venezuela threatens regional security, why the United States can not invade the South American country?
The question stunned those present at the meeting, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and National Security Advisor, HR General McMaster, who did not are more part of the American executive
The record of the conversation so far unknown comes from a senior official who knew what was being said then, who was speaking under the guise of & dquo; Anonymity In a conversation that lasted about five minutes, McMaster and others, speaking in turn, explained to Trump the negative consequences of an invasion, which would cost Washington the support of Latin American governments, won with great efforts, only to punish President Nicolás Maduro for taking Venezuela on the road to dictatorship.
But Trump had an answer. Without giving any indication that he was going to order the development of military plans, he said that there were several examples of what he saw as a successful use of force in the region, according to sources, as the invasions of Panama and Grenada in the 1980s. 19659003] The idea of the military option would continue to hover in the mind of the president despite the attempts of his advisers to crush him, and he would raise him twice as much with Latin American leaders.
The next day, August 11, Trump caused surprise among friends and foes by speaking of a "military option" to overthrow Maduro . At first, these public statements were considered the kind of martial bravado that one could expect from the TV star turned commander in chief.
But shortly thereafter, he spoke to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said the official. Two Colombian officials confirmed the information, under cover of anonymity to avoid upset Trump
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And in September, when The Assembly The UN General, Trump returned more intensively on the subject at a private dinner with Santos and three other Latin American allies, said the three same sources and reported the online magazine Politico in February.
Trump was specifically told not to talk about the issue, which would have a negative impact, but the first thing the chair said during dinner was: "My staff told me not to speak." He then asked each president if he was sure he did not want a military solution, added the official, adding that everyone clearly told Trump that he was certain.
Finally, McMaster would explain to the president in a solo conversation they were the dangers of an invasion.
On the whole, these behind-the-scenes conversations, which have not been reported in detail and in all their extent, reveal how the Venezuelan economic and political crisis has attracted attention at the top . would have been inconceivable during the presidency of Barack Obama. But according to his critics, he shows how foreign policy of the "United States at first" can sometimes seem directly irresponsible and give arguments to the enemies of the country.
The White House refused to comment on the private talks. But a spokesman for the National Security Council reiterated that the United States will study all options available to help restore democracy and bring stability to Venezuela. Under the leadership of Trump, the United States, Canada and the European Union applied sanctions to dozens of senior Venezuelan officials, whom they accused of bribery, drugs and human rights violations. Washington has contributed more than $ 30 million to Venezuela 's neighbors to help them absorb more than a million migrants who have fled the country.
For Maduro, who has long denounced that the United States has military plans to take care of Venezuela and its huge oil reserves, Trump's bellicose statements allowed him to recover, although for a short time, some of the popularity lost just when he was blamed for the shortage of food and hyperinflation. A few days after the president's statements on the military option, Maduro sent his loyalists to the streets of Caracas to condemn the belligerence of "the Emperor" Trump, ordered military exercises throughout the country, and threatening opponents of the prison who, according to him, they conspired with Washington to overthrow him.
"If the alleged denial of the soil of the homeland was given, the rifles would arrive in New York, Mr. Trump, we would take the White House, (because) until Vietnam it would be small," Nicolás Maduro, President's son, Constituent Assembly, composed of government supporters
Even the most bitter allies of the United States were forced to reluctantly support Maduro against Trump's bellicose words. Santos, a staunch supporter of American attempts to isolate Maduro, said an invasion would not benefit from any support in the region. The Mercosur customs alliance, which includes Brazil and Argentina, said in a statement that "the only acceptable instruments for the promotion of democracy are dialogue and diplomacy" and that she repudiated any option involving the use of force. 19659003] But in the beleaguered Venezuelan opposition movement, hostility towards the idea of military intervention began to fade
a few weeks after the public statements of Trump, Ricardo Hausmann, professor of economics at Harvard and former minister of Venezuelan planning. a column of opinion entitled "D-Day in Venezuela" in which he appealed to a "coalition of volunteers" composed of regional powers and the United States to intervene and support militarily a government appointed by the Assembly national, led by the opposition.
Mark Feierstein, head of Latin American affairs at the National Security Council under the Obama administration, said that a dramatic edification of Washington in Venezuela, as acceptable as it may be, only will not force Maduro to give up the reins of power if the pressure does not accompany him on the street. In addition, he considers that the repression of last year's demonstrations, which caused dozens of deaths, has strongly demoralized the Venezuelans, and the threat of a new crackdown has forced dozens of leaders of the country. Opposition to exile.
"People inside and outside of government know that they can ignore much of what Trump says," said Feierstein, now senior advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group. , about statements about a military invasion of Venezuela.
"What is disturbing is that it has aroused expectations among many Venezuelans who hope that an outside actor will come to save them."
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