U.S. - Venezuela: The Empire Strikes Back (and Loses) by James Petras http://www.voltairenet.org/article166697.html

The obvious purpose of Washington’s militarization, spanning the whole of Latin America including Haiti, is the encirclement of Venezuela and its prepositioning for a possible direct intervention. However, militarization especially under the Obama Administration permeates U.S. strategy throughout the globe. James Petras observes that, having lost most of its economic leverage to subdue any country or movement which resists U.S. domination, Washington’s only option is to rely on its military muscle, albeit with an uncertain outcome.