The U.S. Needs a New Strategy in Venezuela
Trump’s maximum pressure campaign against the Maduro government isn’t working.
The strongman’s still in charge.
Photographer: Carlos Becerra/Getty Images South America
A year and a half since protesters took to the streets of Caracas, and U.S. President Donald Trump warned that “all options are on the table” if Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro refused to step down, the fortunes of the two leaders have reversed. While Trump is recovering from Covid-19 and facing defeat at the polls, Maduro’s grip on power has grown more secure. With Venezuela’s main opposition parties planning a boycott of parliamentary elections on Dec. 6, Maduro is poised to consolidate control over all three branches of government.
An electoral victory for the regime promises more misery for the Venezuelan people, who are already suffering from the pandemic and one of the world’s worst food crises. To avert further disaster, U.S. policy needs a change of course. That involves building international support for a democratic transition and persuading members of Maduro’s government not to stand in the way.