More Hostages But No More Sanctions: The Failure of Biden Administration Venezuela Policy

The failure of Biden administration policy toward Venezuela is every day more evident, yet there are few signs of the desperately needed course correction.

This week, the Maduro regime showed what U.S. policy had gained by doing prisoner deals with Venezuela: nothing much.

Last December, the Biden administration released Alex Saab, a notorious fixer and money launderer for Maduro, in exchange for the release of 10 Americans being held hostage. The great problem with such deals is that Maduro has the ability to imprison new American hostages—and he has done so.

Politico reported that “Venezuela’s government Tuesday announced the arrest of a fourth U.S. citizen in connection with an alleged plot to kill President Nicolás Maduro in which authorities claim the CIA, Spain’s intelligence agency, organized crime groups, sex workers and members of the opposition are involved.”

How long before Maduro gets the number up to 10 again?

Meanwhile, in the months since Saab was released Maduro has broken the promises he made to hold a free election, stolen the July 28 election that he lost in a landslide, driven the winner, Edmundo Gonzalez, into exile, and launched a new reign of terror. The Independent International Fact-Finding Mission reported this on Tuesday:

Venezuela’s Government has dramatically intensified efforts to crush all peaceful opposition to its rule, plunging the nation into one of the most acute human rights crises in recent history…. "We are witnessing an intensification of the State’s repressive machinery in response to what it perceives as critical views, opposition or dissent,” said Marta Valiñas, chair of the Fact-Finding Mission. “Although this is a continuation of previous patterns, that the mission has already characterized as crimes against humanity, the recent repression, due to its intensity and systematic nature, represents a very serious attack on the fundamental rights of the Venezuelan people….

What is astonishing about this situation is the lack of a serious response by the Biden administration. Months ago the administration lifted some key oil sanctions on Venezuela, and today Chevron and several European oil companies are actively at work—with huge financial benefits for the Maduro regime. The Wall Street Journal reported that “Chevron plays an outsize role in Venezuela’s sanctions-hit economy. The company’s business in Venezuela generates about 20% of national crude exports and 31% of the government’s total oil income….”

Why have the oil sanctions on Venezuela not been reimposed—after the stolen election, the vicious repression, and now the imprisoning of a fourth American?

There are no decent excuses. The democratic opposition in Venezuela is united on this:

Venezuela’s main opposition coalition on Monday called on the U.S. to cancel the licenses that allow Chevron and other energy companies to operate in the South American country to pressure President Nicolás Maduro to negotiate a transition from power…. “We want them canceled … this is a lifeline to the regime,” adviser Rafael de la Cruz said….”

Once upon a time Secretary of State Blinken used to say that “President Biden is committed to a foreign policy that unites our democratic values with our diplomatic leadership, and one that is centered on the defense of democracy and the protection of human rights.”

Biden policy toward Venezuela today makes a mockery of those words—and newer ones. In a conversation with Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado this week, Secretary Blinken "assured them the United States would continue to champion a return to democratic freedoms in Venezuela, strive to ensure the will of Venezuelan voters is respected, and hold Nicolas Maduro and his representatives accountable for their actions….”

Really? The current policy of inaction—of words without actions—is an embarrassment to President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and the United States, and it is undermining the democratic opposition in Venezuela.

Reimposition of oil sanctions won’t bring democracy to Venezuela tomorrow morning. But it will make clear that the United States cares more about democracy than about oil company profits, and it will be a clear political signal of American opposition to the Maduro regime.

It ought to be done today.