Does Venezuela Sponsor Terrorism? Donald Trump is Trying to Force Maduro from Power, Experts Say.
Does Venezuela Sponsor Terrorism? Donald Trump is Trying to Force Maduro from Power, Experts Say.
AS/COA's Eric Farnsworth explains in Newsweek that it may be too soon to declare Venezuela as a terrorism sponsor.
The Trump administration would likely add Venezuela to a U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism that includes North Korea, Sudan and Syria, according to a The Washington Post report citing U.S. officials and internal government e-mails. But some analysts believe this is an ambiguous claim by a group of Republican legislators who seek to weaken the already embattled Nicolás Maduro regime.
GOP Senators like Marco Rubio of Florida have cited Venezuela’s ties to Lebanese Hezbollah and Colombian guerrilla groups such as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the National Liberation Army. The latter allegedly operates in 12 Venezuelan states—almost half of the country’s territory—engaging in activities like cattle and gas smuggling, extortion and recruitment of minors, based on investigations by InSight Crime, an organization that monitors national and citizen security in Latin America...
