Americans Don't Care Much About Venezuela

There is a new Pew survey showing Americans* don't have much faith in Donald Trump when it comes to "wise decisions" toward Venezuela, that they're split on U.S. access to Venezuelan oil and the use of force to remove Nicolás Maduro, and that the splits run a lot along partisan lines. Politically, I don't think it matters much because the poll does not measure intensity.

About a month ago, I gave a surprisingly lengthy interview for local TV news. I ended up getting a lot of positive feedback because so many people just didn't have any idea what was happening. But what occurs to me is that the appetite for knowing more has mostly evaporated. What people really pay attention to is the use of U.S. force that might involve U.S. casualties. In my opinion, although people might be aware of killing people on boats and commandeering oil tankers and many might even oppose those actions, they don't assign much importance to them. If we ever get to a point where U.S. troops enter Venezuela, then that can change quickly.

What that means is that until that time, U.S. public opinion likely won't have much impact on U.S. policy toward Venezuela, which will continue to go along the president's whims.

*Yes, I am aware of the problematic nature of the term but it's much easier shorthand than "people in the United States." I wish we had something better.