President Trump has launched a new push for democracy in Venezuela, and, for once, he enjoys support from governments in Europe and Latin America. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada — who’s hardly a Trump acolyte — and even a significant number of Democratic lawmakers in Congress are also on board.
In the United States, criticism so far has come mainly from progressives such as Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), who tweeted: “The US is sanctioning Venezuela for their lack of democracy but not Saudi Arabia? Such hypocrisy.” “If Trump and [Secretary of State Mike] Pompeo are so worried about human rights and democracy in Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua,” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) chimed in, “why do they actively support horrible regimes in Brazil, Guatemala, and Honduras?”
This sort of left-wing whataboutism was probably inevitable, but, well, what about it? Does hypocrisy disqualify Trump’s policy? Or is there a principled basis for selective concern about Venezuela?
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