Clueless U.S. Policy Toward Venezuela

Roberta Jacobson says she is "disappointed" that Latin American governments rallied around Venezuela instead of supporting the sanctions.

I literally looked at the date to see if it was April 1 because this one just stymies me. I argued last month that the sanctions would make it harder for Latin American governments to support the U.S. and to criticize Venezuela. I did not consider this terribly insightful but rather a statement of common sense. There was no way, no way, that Latin American leaders would publicly support unilateral sanctions. And frankly, I do not see how anyone with a knowledge of the region would expect such an outcome.

Whether you support the idea of the sanctions--or the people being sanctioned--is irrelevant to the fact that such instruments will push away your allies and certainly your potential allies. As such they are not a very effective measure to achieve broader strategic goals.

Again, this shouldn't surprise anyone, and so I am surprised that it surprises Secretary Jacobson.