Editorial: Venezuelan earthquakes show why nation must move to democracy

In the days after two devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela, not only has the destruction been evident, but so has the absence of a government ready to respond to a tragedy of this scale.

The death toll - already over 3,000 - is expected to rise substantially as the humanitarian crisis worsens. Thousands of Venezuelans are homeless, and a crumbling health care system is struggling to care for the injured. The coastal state of La Guaira was hit particularly hard by the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 tremors.

It's been about six months since a U.S. military operation extracted the Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, offering a window of opportunity to establish a path for a democratic transition. Instead, the Trump administration opted to work with the regime, treating Venezuela as a client state with Maduro crony Delcy Rodríguez as president.

This decision is now coming to haunt the Trump administration as Rodríguez has not met the moment. In the aftermath of the quakes, Venezuelan security forces on the ground have been primarily focused on directing traffic, while untrained civilians are carrying out the rescue efforts. Rodríguez was recently booed out of a shattered neighborhood in Caracas, as Venezuelans are still waiting for basic needs, including power generators and equipment to clean debris. And yet, this is the regime the U.S. has chosen to work with.

The U.S. pledged to restore the country to economic and political stability before a transition, but the earthquakes complicate these goals. Delaying a transition, however, would be the wrong choice.

The Trump administration not only has a duty to provide immediate disaster aid but also to use its influence to establish a path toward self-determination.

Shortly after the earthquakes, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the U.S. response will be big, fast and effective, and we are beginning to see some of that. The Trump administration is mobilizing personnel and equipment for the disaster relief efforts, with $300 million in aid announced last week. The U.S. military is already working on site and has repaired two runways at Simón Bolívar International Airport, allowing more personnel to arrive to manage the coming relief supplies.

But if this aid is going to have a lasting impact, you need a legitimate government. Rodríguez may have purged the regime of Maduro's most loyal lieutenants, but this is still a regime of the same corrupt officials that have used their power to enrich themselves for decades.

This is the same regime that built the high-rises that crumbled to the ground in seconds. These buildings were part of massive housing projects that were hastily constructed, in an effort to win votes for the Hugo Chávez government, and whose structural deficiencies were known. This is the same regime that when the economic crisis hit, it weakened the state infrastructure needed to respond to emergencies like this one.

There is a question worth asking Rubio. Does the U.S. really want to continue working with these thugs?

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