Corrupt governments and institutions have long been an issue in Latin America and have contributed greatly to the region’s general instability. However the recent trend suggests that corrupt officials may be under a greater threat than they have been previously. The fundamental difficulty in fighting corruption lies in the fact that those who are corrupt usually are the major power-holders. However recent efforts to resist corruption have not been hindered by this problem due to their implementation by neighboring governments and different administrations. At the heart of the region’s current tensions is the destabilization of Venezuela under authoritarian President Maduro. His corrupt and aggressive behavior have been recently protested by other regional leaders who aim to exclude him from the Summit of the Americas being held in Peru this April. This same band of countries has also been responsible for previous sanctions on Venezuela which have contributed to the desperate economic state of the country. It is yet to be seen how effective this resistive effort will have and is likely that it will cause elevated tensions with Venezuela as Maduro has stated his intent to attend the summit anyway. If he really attempts this, direct conflict could result. Nevertheless the barring of Maduro, even if only symbolic, serves as an indicator that the neighboring regional powers don’t approve of Maduro’s behavior and are willing to use their position to bring him down. The widespread sanctions Venezuela faces have, however, lead the state-run oil company to replace their highly corrupt CFO, Simon Zerpa, a move which is hoped to revive trade with the US and other countries. Zerpa had sanctions placed on him due primarily to suspicious dealings with a Chinese business fund. The Venezuelan government was presumably behind the move, and Zerpa still retains his position as Economy and Finance Minister to Maduro, so it may be only a perceived improvement. However it does decrease the current trade barriers, allowing Venezuela to bring in more funds and the world oil market to regain another oil source. Ultimately these moves may be deceptively ineffective, but they indicate a shift in the right direction for the correction of Venezuela’s desperate situation.
