by Paul Apostolicas
The events that have transpired in Venezuela over the last year are nothing short of a tragedy. Considering economics alone, Venezuela is in deep trouble. After a multi-year plunge in oil prices, the oil-rich nation faces a brutal economic recession with inflation exceeding 800% since Nicolás Maduro seized power. The situation has been exacerbated by the government’s socialist price controls that have led to widespread shortages of resources such as food and medicine. The National Association of Living Conditions estimates that the number of Venezuelans who have lost a significant amount of weight due to lack of food has nearly tripled to 32.5%. Furthermore, child mortality rates have increased 100-fold due to a lack of basic medications. The Maduro regime has decided to prohibit nearly all foreign aid. Venezuela’s economic troubles are compounded by political ones. While the late leader and strongman Hugo Chavez attacked human rights and democratic institutions in the country, this trend has rapidly accelerated under the leftist Maduro regime. Most concerning is his decision to rewrite the country’s constitution, forming a so-called “constituent assembly.” Using an election for the assembly as a façade, the body gives Maduro dictatorial powers, despite polls indicating that roughly 80% of Venezuelans oppose the move. The Maduro regime also has no respect for the most basic human rights. He has thrown opposition leaders in jail, censored the press, and attacked freedom of speech. Hundreds of thousands have protested against Maduro, and they have been met with armored vehicles, SWAT gear, and tear gas. Peaceful protestors have been attacked, and nearly one hundred have died as a result. Meanwhile, factions of the military have begun to defect from Maduro. The Wall Street Journal has gone as far as to claim that Venezuela is on the brink of a civil war. *** The United States should have the following goals when approaching the crisis in Venezuela: restore human rights and alleviate the suffering of the Venezuelan people. The United States must not, however, overstep its role, which would lead to “imperialist” accusations and would impede American interests. The Trump administration’s policies thus far are a step in the right direction. Secretary of Treasury Steven Mnuchin announced sanctions on thirteen individuals at the request of Senator Marco Rubio (R, FL) and Senator Bob Menendez (D, NJ). Sanctions should expand to as many individuals associated with the regime as possible — perhaps to all of Maduro’s cronies in the Constituent Assembly and executive branch of the government. This will create considerable pressure at the top of the regime, possibly accelerating its decline. President Trump made another step in the right direction after announcing a ban on the purchase of Venezuelan bonds. While some argue that the money from bonds could improve the situation of the Venezuelan people, the money is actually used by Maduro to prop up his oppressive regime. The United States must refrain from military action against Maduro. While the regime is incredibly unpopular in Venezuela, so is the potential of US involvement. South Americans and nations around the world would denounce the actions as imperialistic, and would actually strengthen Maduro’s hand, giving him something to unite the country against. Finally, due to instability in the Korean Peninsula, the United States should not divide its military’s focus. The US is reportedly weighing sanctions against the Venezuelan regime, with the most severe being an oil embargo. Experts believe an embargo would decimate the economy, affecting the government and the people alike. An oil embargo would lead to an unthinkable amount of starvation, which is not the goal of the United States. Instead, the United States should provide the Maduro regime with the following ultimatum: either it accepts some form of foreign aid, or the United States will prevent the regime from importing refined petroleum products from the US, which Venezuela uses as inputs for its oil exports. This action would directly target the regime and bring financial ruin upon it. While some would argue that this action would lead to more suffering, they should note that it is the Maduro regime that will not accept foreign aid. Furthermore, the United States is a sovereign nation and has every right to determine whom it trades with; the US should not provide unlimited financial support through its oil companies to a regime that starves its own people and deprives them of human rights. If forced to make this step, the US should significantly increase the people it takes in for asylum from Venezuela in order to ease the suffering of the ordinary people. Furthermore, as thousands of Venezuelans flee their country to Brazil, border towns, hospitals, and institutions are facing severe strains. The United States should provide generous financial support to these areas. It should also support NGOs and charities that are using unconventional measures to provide medicine and food. Combining coercive measures with humanitarian ones is the only way to cripple Maduro’s authoritarian regime, restore human rights, and ease the suffering of the Venezuelan people.
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