George H.W. Bush's Panama Playbook

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the U.S. may be preparing for some kind of military intervention or covert action in Venezuela to dismantle drug trafficking networks operating in the country and possibly even to topple the country's autocratic leader, Nicholas Maduro. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a longtime vocal critic of the Venezuelan president, sees an opportunity for the Trump Administration to act against what he views as an “ imminent threat ” to American security. Maduro, who is widely considered to have blatantly cheated his way to victory in the country’s most recent presidential election, is preparing his people to resist a potential invasion from the U.S.

While it is too early to tell what will transpire in the South American nation, the simmering conf