TLTP
\nWASHINGTON
\nThe Biden administration has reportedly been refusing to talk to Juan Guaido, the man the US considers to be Venezuela\u2019s legitimate president, and may drop the demand for President Nicolas Maduro to step down from power.
\nThe incoming Democratic government in the US will take a somewhat new approach to Venezuela, a nation that the Trump administration designated as part of a Latin American \u201ctroika of tyranny\u201d and pounded with relentless sanctions. According to Bloomberg, Joe Biden is willing to negotiate with President Maduro and is not setting his resignation as a precondition, unlike Trump.
\nThe Biden administration will offer sanctions relief in exchange for \u201cfree and fair elections\u201d and other concessions, the report said, adding that the US will seek assistance from foreign backers of Venezuela, including Russia, China, Iran and Cuba.
\nWhatever policy change the Biden administration may bring, it is unlikely to be drastic.
\nVenezuela was sparsely sanctioned under the Obama administration, and while Biden is said to be reviewing how Trump used the tool, he reportedly plans only to \u201crecalibrate\u201d the US sanctions regime, withdrawing some of the punitive measures, but possibly imposing more in some cases.
\nElliott Abrams, Trump\u2019s envoy on Iran and Venezuela, suggested that the Biden administration should appreciate Trump\u2019s heavy-handed approach because \u201cit strengthens their hand,\u201d in a sort of bad-cop-good-cop game against targeted nations.
\nWashington significantly ramped up sanctions on Venezuela in 2017, crippling its oil export revenue, cutting it from international financial markets and otherwise undercutting its economy. American patronage allowed Guaido to quickly raise his international profile, getting Western recognition of his claim for presidency and laying claim to the foreign assets of Venezuela. He was even invited as a guest of honor to Trump\u2019s State of the Union address in February, winning a bipartisan standing ovation.
\nHowever, Guaido\u2019s multiple attempts to actually seize power in Caracas by instigating street protests, staging a military coup and allegedly hiring a mercenary crew to kidnap Maduro all failed, embarrassingly.
\nUS sanctions have taken a heavy toll on Venezuela, triggering a mass exodus of refugees and making it impossible for the government to fund many of its socialist programs. Maduro had to renege on some of the policies of his predecessor, Hugo Chavez, and offer concessions to business interests in an apparently successful attempt to win over less-radical factions in the opposition.
\nAfter Biden secured his place in the White House, Maduro said that despite a \u201cminefield\u201d left behind by Trump, he was ready to work with the upcoming administration. But he indicated that he had little hope for big changes, considering the Obama record on Venezuela. The proposed reengagement may prove a bit awkward to materialize, considering that the Venezuelan president is a wanted man in the US, with a $15 million bounty on his head over an accusation of \u201cnarco-terrorism\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TLTP WASHINGTON The Biden administration has reportedly been refusing to talk to Juan Guaido, the man the US considers to be Venezuela\u2019s legitimate president, and may drop the demand for President Nicolas Maduro to step down from power. The incoming Democratic government in the US will take a somewhat new approach to Venezuela, a nation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-163148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n