Venezuela anti-US revolt fizzles as exodus mounts

Bloomberg

After using the Summit of the Americas for more than a decade to help whip up anti-US sentiment in Latin America, Venezuela this week found out how isolated it truly is.
Barred from attending the two-day event, Venezuela had to watch as country after country condemned the administration of President Nicolas Maduro and called for the restoration of democracy and the respect for human rights.
Even more humiliating, the US and others demanded that Maduro open up the oil-rich country to aid as millions flee mounting hunger.
Maduro’s government “remains in a state of denial before a so evident crisis, while the rest of the world watches shocked how the Venezuelan people physically die of hunger,” Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said. “Venezuelans are our brothers, but we’ll be implacable against their oppressive regime.”
Twelve years after former President Hugo Chavez called George W. Bush the devil at the United Nations, complaining he could smell sulfur, the US sat through one of its most comfortable regional summits ever. Sixteen countries including the US, Brazil, Argentina and Colombia signed up to a declaration demanding the restoration of democracy in Venezuela and calling for Maduro to allow in aid. Only Bolivia and Cuba defended their ally, calling on the US to end sanctions against the impoverished nation.
President Donald Trump’s decision to pull out of the meeting may have contributed to a general sense of solidarity after berated Latin America over immigration and trade.
His replacement, Vice President Mike Pence, started his trip by meeting with Venezuelan dissidents and pledging more help for the millions fleeing the country.
“Nicolas Maduro promised the Venezuelan people renewed prosperity and it’s only brought a nation to its knees,” Pence said. “It has now collapsed into dictatorship and tyranny. Venezuela is essentially a failed state.”
“Corruption weakens democratic governance, the trust of citizens in institutions and has a negative impact on the full enjoyment of human rights and sustainable development,” the leaders said.
But the mass exodus from Venezuela made Maduro’s administration and the country’s economic collapse impossible to ignore. Colombia received about half a million Venezuela migrants last year, while Chile took over 100,000. “Venezuela isn’t just a problem for Venezuelans,” Chilean President Sebastian Pinera said. “It’s a regional issue. They must recognise the humanitarian crisis.”