U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Sunday that the United States would not take a day-to-day role in governing Venezuela other than enforcing an existing “oil quarantine” on the country, a turnaround after President Donald Trump announced a day earlier that the U.S. would be running Venezuela following its ouster of leader Nicolás Maduro.

Rubio’s statements on TV talk shows seemed designed to temper concerns about whether the assertive American action to achieve regime change might again produce a prolonged foreign intervention or failed attempt at nation-building.

They stood in contrast to Trump’s broad but vague claims that the U.S. would at least temporarily “run” the oil-rich nation — comments that suggested some sort of governing structure under which Caracas would be controlled by Washington.

But Rubio offered a more nuanced take, saying the U.S. would continue to enforce an oil quarantine that was already in place on sanctioned tankers before Maduro was removed from power early Saturday and use that leverage as a means to press for policy changes in Venezuela.

  • NoiseColor @lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    Maduro is deeply unpopular in Venezuela and the country is in a really bad place.

    Sure, America is probably one of the main reasons for that, but Maduro is high up there himself.

    Best case scenario, this could turn out ok. Worst case, for the average person, probably not much difference.

      • chocrates@piefed.world
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        4 days ago

        Maduro ostensibly fucked with the last election and I’ve heard that living is hard. Doesn’t mean the US is allowed to abduct them ofc.

      • ngdev@lemmy.zip
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        4 days ago

        “in a really bad place” =/= “a really bad place”