Venezuela president Maduro
© AP/Ariana CubillosVenezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro holds the country’s national flag during a rally in Caracas, Venezuela, July 27, 2017.
South America comes together and says no to war on Venezuela.

Donald Trump recently stated that he is considering a military option in Venezuela in respect of overthrowing the popularly elected socialist government of the oil rich state. Recent months have seen increasing hostile protests against the government by US backed right wing agitators.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza has said of Trump's remarks,
"Venezuela rejects in the most categorical and convincing manner the unfriendly and hostile statements by US President Donald Trump... in which he threatens a military invasion against our homeland.

..."The reckless threats of President Donald Trump are designed to draw Latin America and the Caribbean into a conflict that will irrevocably violate stability, peace and security in our region".
Yesterday, the South American trading bloc Mercosur condemned Donald Trump's threat of force against Venezuela and stated that dialogue and diplomacy are the only viable options. Mercosur is a South America customs union and trading bloc whose members include Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. Additionally, Chile, Peru, Columbia and Ecuador. Venezuela's membership is currently suspended due to the bloc's opposition to the Bolivarian government, but even so, Mercosur is totally opposed to any military action against Venezuela.

The United States has a history of overthrowing legitimately elected leaders in Latin America, including in the largest members of Mercosur including Brazil, Argentina and Chile. Overthrowing the Venezuelan government would be a return to a precedent that virtually no modern Latin American leaders want to revisit.

The message from the region is clear: No US war for Venezuela's oil.