Does the Venezuela Gamble pay off?

It’s a high risk-high reward play. If Trump gets Maduro to step down without military conflict, it would be a huge win for America First. Cuts the head off a major drug trafficking organization and gets rid of an adversary in our own backyard. Goes a long way towards ridding South/Central America of cartel influence, which I think is the ultimate goal. More stable democracies in the Western Hemisphere and less cartel-controlled territory is very important to our national security.

If Maduro digs his heels in, however, this could turn into an actual military conflict. The American people don’t have an appetite for new wars at the moment. In addition, it plays right into the colonial interventionist stereotype that Maduro and other South Americans tout, which can turn more South Americans against us.

I’ve been impressed with Trump and Rubio’s foreign policy so far, so let’s hope they land the plane smoothly.