The New York Times explains why the US shouldn’t give up on Venezuela
The Maduro regime has renounced the sanctions it lifted on Venezuela: Implications for the Venezuelan oil and gas sector and the United States
Those sanctions were temporarily lifted last October after Venezuela signed an agreement to take steps toward holding a free and fair presidential election. Analysts say that President Nicols Maduro’s regime has reneged on the deal by persecuting the opposition.
That’s because, were he to allow a free and fair election, Maduro would almost certainly lose. And if he left office, he could face the prospect of prison because he faces U.S. charges of narco-terrorism, drug trafficking and corruption. In addition, the International Criminal Court is investigating the Maduro regime for alleged crimes against humanity.
The Biden administration now has little choice but to follow through on its threats to restart the sanctions it had lifted on Venezuela’s oil and gas industry, even though those sanctions have become deeply unpopular with the Venezuelan people. They are going to resume on April 18.
“The list [of abuses] is so long,” says Ryan Berg, director of the Americas program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “I think you need some kind of reimposition of sanctions to show that there’s accountability.”
It slapped sanctions on Venezuela’s state-run oil company, known as PDVSA, which effectively prevented it from selling petroleum to the United States — Venezuela’s biggest customer. The Trump administration formally recognized Juan Guaid as the country’s legitimate leader, along with 50 other countries.
Immediately, the regime received its benefits. Last month, Venezuela’s oil exports hit a four-year high. But Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas think tank in Washington, said the Biden administration moved too fast.
Although the Barbados accord led to the release of 10 Americans jailed in Venezuela and several Venezuelan political prisoners, Maduro continues to oppress his opponents and has expelled a U.N. human rights mission from Venezuela.
The Maduro government has barred Machado from holding public office for 15 years due to what legal experts call bogus charges of corruption and other alleged wrongdoing. Corina Yoris would be the opposition’s main presidential candidate. But Yoris was not even allowed to register her candidacy.
Polls suggest that in a free election, Machado, a former right-wing congresswoman, would trounce President Maduro. Venezuela’s economic crisis was the worst in history, and it was lead by President Maduro after 11 years in power.
The majority of the six million voting-age Venezuelas living outside the country have not been able to register to vote.
Francisco Rodrguez is a teacher at the University of Denver and he says the July 28 presidential election in Venezuela is shaping up as the most undemocratic election since the country became a democracy more than 50 years ago.
