Escalating..... Maduro has cut off diplomatic ties with Colombia and is giving them 24 hours to leave, and is threatening the US in some way, the same rhetoric as before I guess.
editwhiletyping: And now, the Secretary General of OAS (Organization of American States) says that Maduro can't do that because he isn't legitimate. Doubt he'd be able to actually stop Maduro anyway.
Not that I want to defend this clown in any manner, but I recall the previous time the supposed threats against the US were actually a grossly mistranslated and spun phrase that then was subsequently bounced around English-language media
Regardless, he's just doing the equivalent of an ant trying to roar at a lion and look strong.
...
Okay, maybe a rabbit, the ant would probably be the smallest, most inconsequential, country in existence.
And I'm starting to worry that the US is trying to find a cause for military intervention.
Outside of humanitarian stuff that is.
Trumps admin is certainly leaving the option open. Maduro just needs to not be so stupid as to give us a reason to intervene militarily. At this rate it's going to be easier to base a loose causus belli off of something dumb Maduro did rather than create one. Hell, theres already a loose precedent with Libya, even though Ghaddaffi apparently wasn't actually about to commit genocide.
Of course though, the other problem is, would allies join in? I suppose Brazil and Colombia (or maybe Colombia intervening would make things worse*, given the history between them and Venezuela) might join in for humanitarian reasons, but South America would still be pretty pissed at the US for historical reasons I don't need to explain here. Maybe a bit less pissed if the reason was warranted, but still.
*LordBaal, would it be a problem if Colombia took part in a military intervention? I get that the two countries have had plenty of history between each other and wouldn't neccesarily call each other friends (not at this point in time, obviously), but given the circumstances and I don't know the general feeling the Venezuelan public has towards Colombia...