Growing Competition in the Global South

Trump is emboldened on Venezuela and feeling pressure to act in Nigeria.

Happy Friday,

The government shutdown became the longest in U.S. history, this week.

President Trump has continued to ratchet up pressure on Venezuela, and received a boost from his Republican allies in the Senate, who blocked legislation that would have hindered his strikes. Russia, desperate to maintain its influence by supporting any country opposite the United States, has provided air defense weapons to Caracas. Moscow has also stated that they are considering providing Venezuela with strike missiles. Venezuela will most likely want those as it sees it providing a deterrent to further U.S. attacks—including a long-speculated potential strikes against the country directly.

In Africa, the President has put Nigeria in his crosshairs, claiming that the Nigerian government has failed to protect Christians from the Islamist movement Boko Haram. And Africa has also seen a spike in piracy around Somalia as the United States has pulled back from its role in counter-piracy efforts over …