A US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III descends on the sleepy city of Cúcuta , Colombia. The massive aircraft touches down, taxies along the runway and parks in front of a hangar. Servicemen scramble to unload its cargo: humanitarian aid destined for crisis-stricken Venezuela, less than 10 km to the west of the city. Its mission accomplished, the C-17 takes off, its imposing silhouette dark against the early morning sky. The food and medicine it delivered will help provide relief for Venezuela’s most vulnerable. At least, that’s the official story. While the sudden influx of humanitarian aid to the Venezuelan border may seem like a heartwarming display of international solidarity, an uplifting headline in a sea of bad news, it would be foolish to be blinded to reality. The aid is not a token of the American people’s goodwill, it is a cold, calculated move by the Trump administration to exert pressure on Venezuela’s embattled people and government. It is a direct involvement ...