Here are three reasons why President Trump’s stated plan to reduce development assistance to countries that fail to reduce illegal immigration is not only nonsensical, but also dangerous.
Despite the pleas of the U.S. and the Lima Group, it’s unlikely that the Maduro government will postpone the May 20th elections. But there are several steps that can be taken afterward to help Venezuela heal.
Kuczysnki is the latest casualty of a growing anti-corruption wave sweeping Latin America and the Caribbean, and he’s unlikely to be the last. While the backlash might finally herald the end of the era of political impunity in the region, it could also have uncertain and harmful consequences for democratic stability and due process.
By refusing to participate, the Venezuelan opposition has lost an opportunity to provide an option to voters and mobilize domestic and international democrats.
In yet another break with standard diplomatic practice, there have been no press releases or briefings since Jared Kushner’s return from Mexico. This is not the way diplomacy in a democracy is, or should be, conducted.
Venezuela’s inevitably doomed plan to save its economy by issuing its own kleptocurrency may well undermine the fragile foundations of other booming cryptocurrencies.
The Trump administration’s proposal to cut the State Department’s budget for educational and cultural exchange by 75% is bad. Its justification is even worse.
While the secretary of state may have secured support for tighter sanctions on Venezuela, it was a narrow victory.
Far from celebrating the wave of anti-corruption sentiment and investigations, we should fear for the future. The backlash could make the region a petri-dish for populism.
Recent events in Honduras and Bolivia show the corruption of institutions knows no ideological boundaries.
