President Donald Trump recently presided over a National Security Council meeting with his top foreign policy advisers. The subject: what to do about Venezuela and its tinpot but stubborn dictator, Nicolás Maduro, whose only impressive quality in his ability to continue serving in the role despite years of U.S. sanctions seeking to topple him. The session broke up without a concrete pathway on how the United States will proceed. But given the relentless saber-rattling from the Pentagon and the fact that more than 10 percent of the U.S. Navy fleet is parked off the Venezuelan coast, a reasonable person could surmise that U.S. military action is around the corner.

On the surface, Trump has appeared unsure at times. On November 15, he told reporters that he “sort of … made up my mind” on

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