Venezuela, a long-time diplomatic thorn on the side of the United States, has won a seat on the United Nations Security Council.The Christian Science Monitor reports that unlike the last time Venezuela vied for a spot, this time the country was able to get enough votes easily.The Monitor adds:"Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of senators wrote a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry urging him to 'lead a diplomatic effort at the United Nations to deny Venezuela' a Council seat. They noted that Venezuela supported Russia over its annexation of Crimea and joined other authoritarian regimes seeking to shield Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from UN reprobation for his attacks on his own civilian population. Allowing Venezuela a Council seat, the senators said, would be a step backward 'at a time when we must collaborate to address the world's most pressing challenges.'"Republican critics also note that the Bush administration was successful in keeping Venezuela off the Council the
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