Venezuela’s Meltdown Could Be Trump’s First Nightmare, Too

The threats to Venezuela and its neighbors are plentiful — from a resurgence of violent protests to the specter of a coup. Cops and government security forces only add to the violence in a country “at war with itself.” And what was once a trickle of Venezuelan refugees has now turned into a steady stream to neighboring Brazil and Colombia. In July 2016 alone, for example, over 120,000 Venezuelans poured into Colombia searching for medicine and food. Economically, Venezuela is at risk of defaulting on its debt. Its economy shrunk an estimated 10 percent in 2016 and inflation could top 1,600 percent in 2017, according to the International Monetary Fund. This could worsen an “already horrific situation” for the import-reliant population, Taylor said. And Venezuela could boil over before the Trump administration has time to settle into government and get its new national security team in place and up to speed. “The question on everyone’s mind, including the Trump transition team,” the senior U.S. official said, “is whether there’ll be a soft landing in Venezuela, or if the country is headed toward a major humanitarian disaster.”More…