For the sake of the Venezuelan people, the region and the principle of national sovereignty, the United States must stop efforts to overthrow the duly elected government of Venezuela and should instead support negotiations between the Venezuelan government and its opponents.

For years, the United States has exacerbated problems in Venezuela with devastating sanctions which severely limited Venezuela’s ability to sell oil and has resulted in food and medicine shortages and runaway inflation within the country.

The U.S. record of interventions in the Southern Hemisphere makes for grim reading and has  brought death and disaster in Honduras, Guatemala, Chile, Argentina, Haiti and Panama.

It is obvious that interfering in the affairs of governments has led to years of war and hundreds of thousands of deaths in Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and Yemen.

The United States and its allies must cease encouraging violence by pushing for violent, extralegal regime change in Venezuela. The inevitable result of this reckless course in Venezuela will most likely be bloodshed, chaos and instability.  

Let us learn from our past and current disasters. Let Venezuelans determine the future of their country.

GAIL CHATFIELD
Port Hadlock