South America Faces Fears of Fragility

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has called for military exercises on August 26 and 27, after U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he would not rule out a “military option” to quell the turmoil in the South American country. Vice President Mike Pence, who is traveling through South America this week, has stressed that the U.S. prefers the conflict be resolved by peaceful means, but he also vowed to end “the tragedy of tyranny” in Venezuela, while speaking on Sunday in a joint news conference with Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.

Venezuela’s dual political and economic crises are hitting hard some of America’s biggest allies in the region, including Colombia and Brazil, as waves of migrants flee Venezuela’s violence and lack of basic necessities. Around 200,000 Venezuelans fled the country in 2016, double the average rate per year between 1999 and early 2015, according to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI).