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The Chief Diplomat decides what the US ambassadors and diplomats will say, and how they will stand when in contact with foreign governments

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1. Appointment of ambassadors
2. Signs trade agreements and treaties with other nations
3. Formation of alliances
4. Make political declarations
5. Send telegrams/tweets/letter to foreign nations
6. Entertain foreign officials

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The President sets the foreign policy of the US's relations with other nations

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The President sets the foreign policy of the US's relations with other nations

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 Examples of Presidents Acting As Chief Diplomat:

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 Examples of Presidents Acting As Chief Diplomat:

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Obama discussing the Crime Crisis with Vladimir Putin

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Obama discussing the Crime Crisis with Vladimir Putin

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Jimmy Carter passed the Peace Settlement for Palestine in 1978

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Jimmy Carter passed the Peace Settlement for Palestine in 1978

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Trump meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

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Trump meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un

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President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's new interim president gained broad international support. Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Peru and other countries in the region immediately followed with their own recognition of Guaido. Key European allies said they would as well, unless Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro agreed to call new presidential elections by week's end.

The Trump administration's ability to bring allies and partners along represents a welcome return to working with others to bring much-needed change to Venezuela, a country that has suffered greatly under Maduro's leadership. Hyperinflation and rising food and medicine shortages have left much of the population destitute. More than 3 million residents have already fled the country for safer climes.

Even so, the sudden change in direction raises important questions about U.S. policy toward the region, the administration's support for democracy, and even whether this new U.S.-led effort is the best way to bring about the change of course that is so desperately needed in Venezuela.

There is, first of all, the uncomfortable history of past U.S. regime-change efforts in Latin America - from Guatemala in the 1950s, Brazil in the 1960s, Chile in the 1970s, to Central America in the 1980s. Given this long history, it's not all that surprising that some wonder whether we are seeing a return to the unwelcome policy of regime change of the past. After all, it comes on the heels of national security adviser John Bolton's call for an end of the "troika of tyranny" - Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.

To avoid that impression, it would have been far better if the Lima Group, not Washington, had taken the lead. This group of 12 countries, which includes all key nations in the hemisphere except for the United States, was formed in 2017 to coordinate policy on and demand changes in Venezuela. The Lima Group was therefore perfectly placed to take the public lead, even if Washington was quietly coordinating policy behind the scenes.

Second, the administration's sudden concern for democracy would be more credible if it had pushed this policy consistently. But it hasn't. Instead, Trump has repeatedly emphasized the importance of sovereignty and the right of countries to decide their own affairs. On his first trip abroad as president, Trump told Arab leaders (none of them elected), that "we are not here to lecture - we are not here to tell other people how to live, what to do, who to be, or how to worship."

And until now, the administration has been true to its words. A year ago, Washington recognized the new Honduran president even though his election was marred by such widespread fraud that the Organization of American States called for new elections. And just this week, even as Washington sought the ouster of the Venezuelan leader because he had subverted the presidential election, it recognized the new president of Congo though he had clearly stolen his own election.

Indeed, for the past two years Trump has embraced strongmen around the world - not only long-standing autocrats like Vladimir Putin, Mohammed bin Salman, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un, but also Abdel Fattah el-Sisi who seized power in Egypt in a coup and Recep Tayyip Erdogan who's subverted democracy in Turkey. The sudden concern for restoring democracy in Venezuela raises the question of why there but not elsewhere.
Trump keeps praising international strongmen, alarming human rights advocates "
Finally, having set this new policy in motion, there is the question of where it will end - and what steps the White House is prepared to take to achieve the goal of restoring real democracy in Venezuela. For now, the focus is on diplomatic and economic pressure, including cutting off oil exports, a key source of revenue for Maduro's regime.

The immediate impact of these measures, however, will fall on the Venezuelan people, who have already suffered so much. Perhaps they will take to the streets, which may force the Venezuelan armed forces to choose sides between the people and the regime. Clearly, the opposition hopes that the military will back its efforts to topple Maduro. But what if it doesn't? Or what if the military splits - setting off a bloody civil war? Would Washington then intervene militarily? To what end - to oust Maduro, install Guaido, control the military, rebuild the nation, oversee elections?

These are pressing questions. It's not at all clear that they have all been thought through. This administration is not known for careful planning, weighing options, probing different scenarios and considering all of the consequences before making decisions. To the contrary, Trump's way is to make decisions and leave it to others to figure out how to get it done. Perhaps Venezuela turns out to be the exception - a well thought-out policy, well executed. But so far it has all the markings of business as usual.
Ivo Daalder is the president of the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and a former U.S. ambassador to NATO. Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook. Submit a letter to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.

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Venezuela tests Trump - will U.S. return to 'regime change' foreign policy?

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President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's new interim president gained broad international support. Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Peru and other countries in the region immediately followed with their own recognition of Guaido.