Link to article: “Venezuela’s Guaido, US top diplomat discuss ‘return to democracy’“
Since President Joe Biden’s entrance into office, Venezuela has shown interest in opening back up to the United States and its Western allies. The U.S Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has held discussions with Venezuelan leader, Juan Guaido, about a possible return to a Democratic-run government.
Venezuela’s presidential vote in 2018 resulted in the election of socialist leader Nicholas Maduro to office. The White House declared the election as “fraudulent,” refusing to recognize Maduro as the nation’s official leader. Instead, President Trump chose to recognize the opposition leader, Juan Guaido, as the leader. This led to Venezuela’s decision to cut ties with the U.S. After this, Venezuela’s economy began to cripple, as over 100 sanctions were placed on the nation. An economic crisis arose, and millions of citizens were forced to flee. Now, years later, the two countries are beginning to work together once again, in hopes to restore Venezuela.
The sanctions placed on Venezuela by the U.S have an extreme impacts on the country’s decision to return to a democracy, as they aren’t currently able to survive without international help. The United States likely places these sanctions on the nation for the core reason of governmental differences- the United States, being a capitalist nation, didn’t approve of the socialist structure that Venezuela held, so it did everything in its power to reverse it. The outcome: an economic crisis. Historically, the majority of nations who have attempted a socialist policy haven’t been able to maintain power, largely due to the interference of capitalist states such as the U.S. This change in events, however, will mark a significant turn in Venezuela’s history, as it is making a drastic change in its government policy and structure for the first time since the 1990’s.
Venezuela, formally known as the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela operates under a federal presidential republic with socialist policies. IGOs and NGOs such as the European Union, the Organization of American States, and the Lima Group were also mentioned, as they may play an integral role in Venezuela’s transition to democracy.