Having been involved in the planning in Afghanistan and Iraq, I seriously doubt it.This exactly. The U.S. doesn’t want Venezuela, regardless of the Pottery Barn rule. Many , if not most Venezuelan migrants are dancing in the streets this morning. I had one tell me last month, that Maduro has no friends and no one will really grieve his demise. The question really becomes the power vacuum. Does Machada rise to power? Or does one of Maduro’s followers rise to power with a grudge against the U.S.
Surely, we had a plan and exit strategy!
On the other hand, having distributed AK-47s liberally to the Venezuelan population, imposing a government on Venezuela that the Venezuelans themselves do not want (Either way, pro-Maduro or anti-Maduro) won't be easy. I would bet that the Maduro regime gave AK-47s to Maduro supporters only but there is not a hermetical seal between the two (or twenty) groups.
This could be a case for what Ralph Peters called "punitive strikes."



