Caracas, Venezuela —
Jesús Armas sips coffee with his partner in a sidewalk café. María Pérez takes part in a public protest. Melva Vásquez holds up enlarged photos of her son and her daughter outside a prison where political opponents are held.
These seemingly ordinary actions were all but unthinkable just a few months ago under the rule of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
The United States has done its best to give Venezuela a shiny new image this year — from the daring and deadly night raid to capture Maduro, beefing up diplomatic relations and sending Cabinet secretaries for all-smiles visits with the acting president, and allowing the resumption…