U.S. policy toward Venezuela amid its political crisis has not risen to the level of intervention, analyst Ana Quintana said on Tuesday.
“This is not U.S. intervention,” Quintana, a senior Latin America policy analyst at the conservative Heritage Foundation, told Hill.TV’s Buck Sexton and Krystal Ball on “Rising.”
“This is over 50 countries that are working together,” Quintana said.
The U.S. and other nations have declared Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s recent reelection and inauguration illegitimate, instead voicing support for Juan Guaidó, head of Venezuela’s National Assembly, as interim president.
“What’s important to recognize is that for the first time in history, you have a coalition of partners in the majority of Latin America that support what’s going on here,” Quintana said. “That’s something that never existed before. The Cuban regime has been in place for over 60 years, there’s never been regional consensus that they need to go. With Venezuela, that is the case.”
Quintana praised President Trump’s move on Monday to slap new sanctions on Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, inflicting more pressure for Maduro to relinquish power.
“I think other partners are recognizing and supportive of U.S. escalating actions, particularly yesterday’s oil sanctions, because that cuts off funds to the Maduro regime,” she said.
“Power does not respond to kind words and diplomacy,” Quintana added. “They don’t know how Trump is going to respond. Trump’s unpredictable nature is one of the best factors we have going for us right now.”
Trump‘s national security adviser, John Bolton, on Monday did not rule out the possibility of U.S. military action in Venezuelan.
“All options are on the table,” Bolton said.
— Julia Manchester
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