A Small Step From Disaster in Venezuela

The misery and impending chaos in Venezuela have prompted an international response that seems almost laughably disproportionate: a special meeting of the Organization of American States merely to present a report about Venezuela. It feels feeble and futile -- but it’s just this kind of patient diplomacy that stands the best chance of containing and repairing Venezuela’s disaster.

Citizens of the country with the world’s biggest oil reserves are rioting for food and dying for want of basic medicines. Meanwhile, President Nicolas Maduro is doing all he can to neuter the opposition in the legislature that wants to recall him from office. Public frustration threatens to metastasize into violent unrest, with repercussions for neighbors near and far. Venezuelan applications for asylum in the U.S. are spiking.