Scott Talentino

POLS
Dr. Gamboa
Policy Paper-For Venezuela Sanctions

This policy paper addresses the current crisis in Venezuela. Some have proposed

placing an embargo or other economic sanctions on Venezuela in order to pressure the current

regime into making changes and pressure Maduro to respect democracy. I am in favor of such

sanctions. I propose economic sanctions to apply pressure on Maduro. I propose a coalition of

nations to make steps towards this change. I further propose allowing a way out for allies of the

current regime, so that friends of Maduro will not fear punishment if the come to the table, this Commented [dr1]: they

way they will be more likely to negotiate.

The current state of Venezuela has caused much concern on both domestic and

international levels. Maduro has subverted Venezuela’s democratic institutions for economic

gain. He has also continued the legacy of Chavismo in a way that has been severely detrimental

to Venezuela, as well as other countries in the region. Many citizens do not have access to

water and food, and other supplies.1

Furthermore, some of the processes of Chavismo have put in inept loyalists in place of

qualified professionals over state run industries2. These processes also include stifling Commented [dr2]: I’m unsure about what “processes”
means in this context. “Administrative decisions”
democratic processes and attempting to crush the opposition3. This has led to an overall

mismanagement of the country and to an especially unstable political situation which is bad both

for business and domestic and international politics.

1
Lara Jakes, U.S. Seeks More Sanctions on Venezuela’s Leaders and Faults Europe’s Inertia, (The New
York Times, September 23, 2019).
2
Juan S. Gonzalez, The Venezuelan Crisis and Salvador Allende's Glasses, (PRISM 2019), 42.
3
Juan S. Gonzalez,The Venezuelan Crisis and Salvador Allende's Glasses, 42.
 Venezuela has seen skyrocketing inflation, a mass exodus of citizens to foreign

countries, and a rise in violence4. This includes violence committed by the military against

civilians and protestors, as well as criminals taking advantage of the unstable situation.

Furthermore, Venezuela’s vast oil reserve pose an economic threat on an international scale, Commented [dr3]: reserves
Commented [dr4]: no comma needed
and have provided opportunities for hostile countries like Russia and China to swoop in and

profit of the situation5 . Commented [dr5]: off or from

My belief is that that part of the solution to the current crises in Venezuela is economic

pressure.The government and Venezuela need to feel pressure from the international

community to change, especially since many Venezuelas are unable to resort to domestic Commented [dr6]: Venezuelans

institutions for redress. Therefore, the pressure on Venezuela must come from outside sources,

since the usual means for citizens to resolve these problems on a domestic and democratic

level, have been removed. The alternative of ignoring the current regime in Venezuela will not Commented [dr7]: no comma needed

provide a solution, since the solutions on a domestic level has been suppressed. Commented [dr8]: maybe resolution?

As previously stated, the United States should implement economic sanctions on

Venezuela in order to apply pressure on Maduro to reform the regime. Right now the policy

makers in the United States should put pressure on foreign countries to stand together against

the regime in Venezuela, this can be down by cutting financial support to those who do not fall Commented [dr9]: New sentence
Commented [dr10]: done
in line. Furthermore, the United States can negotiate with Russia and China. The United States

also needs to have a more conciliatory tone so that people on the fence who are supporting the

old regime can be persuaded to abandon their old ties.

The United States also needs to consider incentives with the World Bank and the IMF.

Furthermore, the United States should increase the amount of aid sent to Venezuela to create

more popular support for non-authoritarian regimes. About 60 to 80 billion dollars in aid is

4
Robin Emmot, EU to hit seven more Venezuelan officials with sanctions for torture, (Reuters, September
26, 2019).
5
Francisco Monaldi, The Collapse of the Venezuealn Oil Industry and Its Global Consequences, (The
Atlantic Council, March 2018), 5.
advisable6, and Venezuela’s oil reserves are worth hundreds of billions of dollars 7. Tapping into

the resources from the IMF and the World Bank, along with Venezuela’s oil industry could help

provide a recovery for the failing nation.

The United States is limited by certain constraints-such as having no direct control over

Venezuela’s military. The United States has discussed the possibility of military invasion, but

this runs the risk of creating negative anti American sentiment among Venezuelans, as well as Commented [dr11]: hyphen

losing allies in Latin American and elsewhere.

Scott, good job on this draft. Good job with the proposal part. Are there any pieces of evidence

you could include about the effectiveness of sanctions? I think this would strengthen your

argument. One small thing to change: the assignment asks for 12-point font and Chicago style

citations. Your footnotes look good, but you still need to include a bibliography.

6
Martin Langfield, Breakingviews - Breakdown: How to fix Venezuela, (Reuters, February 4, 2019).
7
Martin Langfield, Breakingviews-Breakdown:How to fix Venezuela.