Brazil's Lula Warns U.S. Intervention in Venezuela Would Be a Hemispheric Catastrophe

Overview

• At the MERCOSUR summit, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said an attack on Venezuela would trigger a humanitarian disaster and urged regional unity to preserve peace.
• Venezuelan authorities condemned U.S. operations near their coast as a destabilizing provocation and a breach of agreements on the Caribbean’s demilitarized status.
• Reporting describes substantial U.S. deployments to the Caribbean, including a Gerald R. Ford carrier group, a nuclear submarine and more than 16,000 personnel.
• Since September, U.S. forces have destroyed at least 20 fast boats in the region with more than 80 reported deaths, actions Washington links to counter-narcotics efforts.
• NBC has reported that U.S. planners examined strike options against drug traffickers inside Venezuela, while a former CIA analyst warned an invasion would face guerrilla warfare and could require 500,000–800,000 troops.