For the U.S., the prospect of a new Cuba sitting atop
trillions of dollars of oil reserves is profoundly
unpleasant. For the past decade, Venezuela has aligned itself
with Russia, China, Iran and Syria. Whether it thrives or
implodes, Mr. Maduro's petrostate could cause far greater
headaches to the U.S. and Latin America than isolated Cuba. An implosion could mean bigger shipments of cocaine to
Central America and the U.S., as well as a massive increase
in the current flow of tens of thousands of refugees already
fleeing the country for the U.S., Colombia, Brazil and
elsewhere. And a consolidation of power could let Mr. Maduro
deepen his partnership with U.S. adversaries.
Keywords matched
refugees