If you take his comments at face value, President Donald Trump’s objectives in Venezuela seem clear enough: President Nicolas Maduro needs to pack up his things and get out of Caracas before it’s too late. Trump reportedly reiterated that demand during last week’s phone call with Maduro, even as he rejected the Venezuelan dictator’s demands for international immunity in exchange for handing over the reins of power.

But even if Trump’s goal is obvious, and I’m not sure any of us can say it is with any degree of confidence, another question springs to the surface: What is the motivation for Trump’s decision-making? In other words, why is Trump so desperate for Maduro to go? Is it because Maduro is a tyrant who stole last year’s presidential election? Because he’s the alleged head of a narco-trafficking organization referred to as “Cartel de los Soles?” Because Maduro has turned Venezuela into a supposed outpost for the Russians, Chinese, Iranians, and Cubans in the Western Hemisphere?

I’ve been trying over the last two months to figure out what’s driving Trump’s stance toward Venezuela. None of the explanations provided by the administration is especially convincing to me.

It’s unlikely that Trump’s campaign is about returning democracy to........

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