There is precedent for Venezuela policy

Claims that President Trump’s actions toward Venezuela were unprecedented ignore well-established U.S. history. The United States has repeatedly refused to recognize governments it judged illegitimate and instead recognized alternative authorities. During the Cold War, Washington recognized the Nationalist government in Taiwan rather than Communist China for decades and withheld recognition from Soviet-backed regimes in Eastern Europe.

The U.S. has also labeled sitting heads of state as criminals, most notably Panama’s Manuel Noriega, who was indicted for drug trafficking while in power. Economic sanctions and diplomatic isolation have likewise been longstanding tools, used against Cuba, Iran and apartheid-era South Africa.

In Venezuela, the Trump administration followed this historical playbook: non-recognition, recognition of an alternative leader, actions and international pressure-without military intervention.

Unfortunately, widespread ignorance of US foreign policy history leaves many Americans vulnerable to the belief that such actions are novel or reckless. That misunderstanding is compounded by the Trump administration’s often imprecise and undisciplined public messaging, which obscured historical continuity and fueled unnecessary controversy.

James Francine Long

Glen Ellyn