Office Hours: After Trump’s attack on Venezuela, who will be the next to attack whom?

The future of gunboat diplomacy

Friends,

I’ve consulted with a number of foreign policy experts on what they consider the major consequence of Trump’s attack on Venezuela.

All see it as a huge blow to the system of international law established by the allied powers after World War II, as enshrined in the U.N. charter and other agreements emphasizing multilateralism, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

The specific question I asked them was who they thought would be next: Who is most likely to be emboldened by Trump’s move to attack or exploit a weaker neighbor? How and where is Trump’s blow to the system of international law most likely to express itself next?

I received several responses, which I summarize below: