When reports appeared that Venezuelan forces captured two American mercenaries leading an armed incursion into Caracas to overthrow the Maduro government last month, images of Tom Clancy novels, Cold War spies, and covert action instantly came to mind. However, rather than living up to the reputation of fictional master spies like Jack Ryan, the so-called “Bay of Piglets” failed catastrophically. While the Venezuelan opposition, government, and the American private military contactor Silvercorp pointed fingers, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo assured the world that the United States had no direct role in this operation. However, soon after, President Donald Trump asserted in a press briefing that if the United States had played a direct role, it would have been more Jack Ryan than the failure in Caracas. But is that actually the case? Looking at the track record of American regime change throughout history, the answer is no.
