Trump’s Call to Arms Against ‘3 Stooges of Socialism’ Done With a Clear Eye on 2020 Campaign

Hawks keen to expand Venezuela fight into Cuba

President Trump’s hostility toward socialism is informing US foreign policy, particularly in Latin America, where it is driving a belligerent posture toward Venezuela and Cuba. This is far from an ideological crusade, nor a whim, however, and is being done with an eye on Trump’s 2020 reelection campaign.

Sending his hawks out to sell the plan, particularly in the important swing state of Florida, Trump is talking up a “3 stooges of socialism” that includes Venezuela’s Maduro, Cuba’s Raul Castro, and Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega, even as his political allies try to tie this ideology to potential Democratic candidates in the election, as well as former President Obama.

The dream is clearly that the administration can both create some military enemies for the Pentagon to crusade against, and tie them inexorably to the opposition, a chance to run an election in which his opponents can be spun as disloyal or even on the “enemy’s side.”

Instead, the policy seems to be blundering the US into a very ugly military confrontation in Venezuela, while trying to vilify Cuba for having ties to Venezuela that long predate the administration’s decision to start demanding regime change in Venezuela.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.