US Rep. Tulsi Gabbard believes that the US's response to the sociopolitical crisis in Venezuela could prevent successful negotiations with North Korea leader Kim Jung-Un, who President Trump is meeting for the second time this week in Vietnam.
Venezuela is in a state of political and economic turmoil as President Nicolàs Maduro is refusing to cede his power to opposition leader Juan Guiadó. Maduro won re-election in May, but much of the international community is calling the election a fraud, and Maduro is doing everything he can to consolidate power.
The country has plunged into chaos, troops loyal to Maduro are blocking humanitarian aid from entering the country, and outside journalists are being detained by the Venezuela government. And this is only a small look at a complex situation.
The Venezuela situation is also happening while President Trump and Kim Jung-Un continue their denuclearization talks Wednesday. So how does one impact the other?
President Trump has taken a strong position in favor of opposition leader Guiadó, recognizing him as the legitimate president of Venezuela. Trump has additionally hit the country with sanctions, targeting its oil exports, has called for Venezuelan troops to defect, and has even said that a military option is not off the table.
It is that last part that is a sticking point for Gabbard. She believes that openly supporting regime-change wars is not going to convince someone who is afraid of being forced out of power to denuclearize when he faces broad condemnation from the international community for not just his country's nuclear ambitions, but its civil rights abuses as well.
Gabbard, a veteran who served in Iraq in a field medical unit, has taken a strong stance against regime-change wars in countries like Syria and Iran, seeing first-hand the consequences of these wars. Her position is a departure from foreign policy we have seen from administrations in both parties.
What do you think? Is Tulsi right?