A U.S. diplomat met three times with military officers in #Venezuela plotting a coup against Nicolas Maduro; he refused to give the officers even an indication of support, let alone the communications devices they needed to bring off their conspiracy. nyti.ms/2QfP2G2
Some saw #Venezuela's military as a means of stabilizing the situation, allowing practical things like aid deliveries. Others "saw considerable risk in building bridges with leaders of a military that...ha[ve] become a pillar of the cocaine trade and human rights abuses." #pt
There's nothing to complain about in the U.S. gathering intelligence by establishing communications with mutinous officers in #Venezuela. The question is whether Maduro is considered a threat: if he is, then do what's necessary to bring him down. If not, leave it for Venezuelans.
In other words, if the question is purely human rights and democracy, then it is extremely risky to tip the scales in favour of a military caste that has upheld the dictatorship in #Venezuela so far in collaboration with the drug barons.
The @NYTimes remains upset at the Bay of Pigs (that it happened, not that it failed) and Reagan's support for the Nicaraguan opposition to the Sandinistas (which thankfully prevailed). NYT also refers to "the American-supported coup in Chile in 1973", which still isn't true.
