It has the potential to degrade the anti-western alliance led by China, Russia and Iran

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U.S. President Donald Trump has been applying military pressure on Venezuela in an apparent push for regime change. While neither war nor a revolution in Caracas currently seem likely, this campaign could indirectly strengthen western security by undermining the credibility of Russia and China’s global military alliances.

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Washington has considered Venezuela an adversary since 1999, after socialist populist Hugo Chavez was elected president. Allying with America’s global adversaries was integral to Chavez’s agenda.

Among other things, he propped up Cuba’s failing economy with cheap oil exports, forged a strategic alliance with Iran, purchased large volumes of Russian weapons and accepted tens of billions of dollars in Chinese oil-backed loans. This gave Moscow and Beijing a foothold in Latin America and made Venezuela a thorn in Washington’s side.

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After Chavez died in 2013, his protege, Nicolas Maduro, was