Latin America Advisor 2022-05-27 – Inter-American Dialogue

LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

A daily publication Of the dialogue

May 20, 2022

What Should the U.S. Do About Sanctions on Venezuela?

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden reportedly has been weighing changes to its sanctions policy on Venezuela. // File Photo: U.S. Government.

Q

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden reportedly will soon ease some sanctions on Venezuela, in part to encourage negotiations between President Nicolás Maduro’s government and the country’s opposition, senior Biden officials told reporters on May 17. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s coalition of opposition parties announced plans to hold a primary election next year and pledged to rally around a single candidate who will run against Maduro in a presidential election scheduled for 2024. Is an easing of sanctions enough to get the Maduro government and opposition back to the negotiating table? Would such talks succeed where previous attempts have failed? Why is the opposition now willing to take part in a presidential election after it boycotted the election in 2018? Who will run in the opposition’s primaries, and has a clear front-runner emerged?

A

Marco Rubio, vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and senior member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations:“The Biden administration’s concessions to the Maduro narco-regime, including removing the dictator’s nephew from the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) sanctions list, were not only absurd but also a very naïve move. Time after time, the narco-regime has exploited the use of negotiations to maintain its illegitimate grip on power as well as to divide and further damage the opposition—all while perpetuating the Venezuelan people’s agony and without providing any guarantees to hold free and fair elections. President Joe Biden has opted for bowing down to the demands of his party’s far-left base after progressive Democrats urged him to ease targeted sanctions…”

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ABOUT THE LATIN AMERICA ADVISOR

The Inter-American Dialogue publishes the Latin America Advisor every business day for a distinguished membership of informed corporate leaders, scholars, and government officials invested in Latin America’s development and future. The Advisor‘s highly regarded Q&A section covers questions submitted by subscribers themselves. Commentators regularly include heads of state, business leaders, diplomats, economists, analysts, and thought leaders from around the world. Many of the world’s largest and fastest-growing companies subscribe to the Advisor. To subscribe, click here. For terms and conditions, click here. For more information, contact Gene Kuleta, editor of the Advisor, at gkuleta@thedialogue.org.

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Staff

Gene Kuleta
Editor
P. 202.463.2920
E. gkuleta@thedialogue.org

Carl David
Goette-Luciak
Reporter

Nili Blanck
Reporter

board of advisors

Diego Arria
Director,
Columbus Group

Merike Blofield
Professor of Political Science,
University of Hamburg

Devry Boughner Vorwerk
CEO,
DevryBV Sustainable Strategies

Joyce Chang
Global Head of Research,
J.P. Morgan

Marlene Fernández
Corporate Vice President for Gov’t Relations,
Arcos Dorados (McDonald’s)

Peter Hakim
President Emeritus,
Inter-American Dialogue

Donna Hrinak
Director,
Adtalem Global Education

Jon E. Huenemann
Council Member,
GLG Inc.

James R. Jones
Chairman,
Monarch Global Strategies

Craig Kelly
Senior Director,
Int’l Gov’t Relations,
Exxon Mobil

Barbara Kotschwar
Professor of Political Economy,
Georgetown University

John Maisto
Director,
US Education Finance Group

Nicolas Mariscal
Chairman,
Grupo Marhnos

Thomas F. McLarty III
Chairman,
McLarty Associates

Beatrice Rangel
Director,
AMLA Consulting

Ernesto Revilla
Head of Latin American Economics, Citi

Gustavo Roosen
President,
IESA

Andrés Rozental
President, Rozental &
Asociados

Shelly Shetty
Managing Director,
Sovereigns, Fitch

Peru’s Path Forward: Navigating Political, Economic, and Global Dynamics

asia & Latin America

education

energy transition & Climate

Migration, Remittances & Development

peter d. bell rule of law

cities

Women & Girls