US Southern Command Chief Visits Venezuela
Are Venezuelan officials bowing to American power or engaging in sovereign diplomatic dialogue?
Above: Commander of US Southern Command Lt. Gen. Francis L. Donovan during a Senate Committee on Armed Services on Capitol Hill on Jan. 15. Image credit: Brendan Smialowski/ AFP/Getty Images
The Spin
Anti-Maduro narrative
The Chavista narco-dictatorship has been forced to bow before American power, effectively serving as puppets to dismantle their own regime. These evil people who terrorized defenseless citizens for too long now respect those who had an active role in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and who understand the brutal nature of the regime.
Pro-Maduro narrative
As the United States' large-scale military aggression and kidnapping of Maduro last month failed to produce a regime change, Washington has been forced to negotiate with Venezuelan authorities and Chavismo. Diplomatic dialogue is the only path forward for resolving their differences between the two nations and address shared regional interests.
