Venezuela suffers from US 'Bad Neighbor' Policy

Though not as famous as "The only thing we have to fear is, fear itself" another quote from FDR's March 4, 1933, first inauguration speech deserves repeating today: "In the field of World policy, I would dedicate this nation to the policy of the good neighbor, the neighbor who resolutely respects himself and, because he does so, respects the rights of others, the neighbor who respects his obligations and respects the sanctity of his agreements in and with a World of neighbors." FDR was signaling to our Latin American neighbors that Uncle Sam was renouncing its past intervention there, becoming instead a 'good neighbor' Latin Americans could trust to act in their interests as well as America's. Eighty-six years on America continues to display its 'bad neighbor' side, seeking regime change in severely troubled Venezuela; even threatening military force to knock off socialist president Nicholas Maduro.

Venezuela may have the worst economy in the Hemisphere but its partly courtesy of America's bad neighbor policy of crippling sanctions imposed in mid 2017 designed to cause economic hardship severe enough to force the masses to overthrow president Maduro. When that didn't work President Trump threatened that military action was "on the table" if Maduro didn't leave. Things are now coming to a head with Maduro political rival Juan Guaido, president of the Venezuelan National Assembly declaring himself Interim President in opposition to elected President Maduro inaugurated to his second term January 10. The US and its conservative Latin American allies immediately recognized Guaido as their choice to rule Venezuela, setting up an even greater political and economic crisis. Unlikely to prevail politically, the US is keeping those military plans close at hand on their regime change table. And for the desperate, starving, fleeing Venezuelan people, with good neighbors like the US, they don't need bad ones. It should be back to school for every war mongering, regime changing US official to read FDR's first inaugural about the good neighbor...and be held to it on the Latin American stage.