Maduro’s Missile Claims: A Diversion from Venezuela’s True Crisis

In a familiar yet alarming refrain, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused the United States of deploying eight naval vessels armed with 1,200 missiles and a nuclear submarine aimed at his country. He brands this alleged buildup as an ‘‘extravagant, unjustifiable, immoral and absolutely criminal’’ threat comparable to the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962.Is Maduro Diverting Attention from Internal Failures?While Maduro paints a dire picture of an impending military confrontation on Venezuela’s doorstep, the facts tell a different story—one that American policymakers and citizens must scrutinize closely. The so-called ‘‘maximum pressure’’ campaign he decries is nothing more than routine U.S....