Has Trump made up his mind to overthrow the Maduro regime? US media disclosed: officials in the Trump administration have begun to think about what would happen after Maduro steps down, with one option being to "exile" him to countries such as Russia, and another being to arrest him and bring him to the United States for trial.
The situation of Maduro is very bad under the pressure of the US military forces.
Over the past few months, Trump has been amassing troops in the Caribbean Sea under the pretext of combating drugs, and the scale of this deployment is said to be the largest in decades. However, strangely, the Trump administration has not provided a strategic explanation for why the US is gathering such a large force in the Caribbean Sea. Many government officials' statements, as well as Trump's own remarks, often contradict each other.
Trump has always claimed that everything is related to drug enforcement, but this cannot explain why such a large naval and air force is being assembled, nor can it explain why the "Ford" carrier was urgently moved from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean Sea to attack small vessels that could be intercepted by coast guard forces. It also cannot explain why the target of the US strike does not include Colombia or Mexico, which are the main channels for fentanyl. Therefore, based on comprehensive judgment, the outside world generally believes that Trump's core objective is likely the Maduro regime.
According to CNN, citing four sources, Trump heard reports from government officials on November 12 and 13 regarding various options for conducting military operations inside Venezuela, and weighed the pros and cons of expanding military operations to overthrow the Maduro regime. On November 12, General Hedges and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Caine represented the military in reporting, and the next day, the National Security team led by Rubio reported. According to the information, the options Trump received included bombing Venezuela's military and political facilities and drug smuggling routes within the country, or directly overthrowing the Maduro regime. Of course, if Trump feels the drawbacks are too great and is unsure, he may decide not to take any action and continue to strike at sea.
Although the US has not announced what actions it will take, and has never confirmed its intention to overthrow Maduro, Trump's aides revealed that the president often discusses Maduro's fate and the issue of oil in private. At the same time, there is another piece of information that deserves special attention.
Trump has been holding intensive meetings recently to discuss the Caribbean operation.
According to the "Politico" website, citing sources, US government officials have started discussing how to deal with Maduro if a regime change in Venezuela is successful. They have come up with two options so far: one is to "exile" Maduro to countries such as Russia, Azerbaijan, Cuba, and Turkey, which have close relations with Maduro, although this is more like forcing Maduro to flee to these countries before the regime collapses. The other option is to directly arrest Maduro and send him to the United States for trial.
If they really start discussing this issue, it means that the Trump administration has plans to act. According to the information, some of Trump's aides believe that the current military threat from the US is enough to cause chaos in the Maduro regime, leading to his downfall. And the US media said that Trump only considers short-term benefits, so his aides starting to discuss the possibilities after Maduro steps down is indeed noteworthy, and also indicates that Trump will not easily give up potential military actions against Venezuela.
In addition, US officials have also discussed when to lift sanctions on the country and how to organize its reconstruction if Maduro is overthrown. However, according to the information released by the sources, the discussion within the Trump administration on these issues is not active, and only a few people are thinking about them, which indicates that the Trump administration does not have a complete plan for overthrowing the Maduro regime.
More puzzling is that despite the constant contact between Trump's aides and the opposition, the Trump administration has not seriously included the opposition in the current plan.
Therefore, some former US officials are worried that if the Trump administration does not have a long-term plan for the issue of Venezuela, especially after Maduro steps down, there may be a power vacuum, and a more anti-American leader may emerge in Venezuela, and drug trafficking and criminal groups may become even more rampant.
If Maduro falls, the result might be worse.
A former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Felitti, has issued a warning: If a power vacuum occurs, no one will be able to control the country, and drug trafficking and corruption will only become more serious, which will ultimately cost Trump dearly.
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7573593812816216595/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author. Please express your opinion by clicking on the [Up/Down] buttons below.