BOGOTÁ, Colombia — The U.S. military buildup in the southern Caribbean Sea near Venezuela is raising expectations of an armed strike against that country but also fears that that it could create a South American quagmire.

Tension is building as the Trump administration amasses warships and thousands of troops in the Caribbean. On Monday, it designated the Venezuela's government, led by President Nicolás Maduro, as a foreign terrorist organization. And while saying Tuesday that he was open to talking with Maduro, President Donald Trump has also hinted that the authoritarian leader's days are numbered.

But American military intervention, which is strongly supported by many Venezuelans, including opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient María Corina Machado, would be unpopular at h

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