The U.S. will not renew a license set to expire on Thursday that had broadly eased Venezuela oil sanctions, moving to reimpose punitive measures in response to President Nicolas Maduro’s failure to meet certain election commitments, senior U.S. officials said. Just hours before the deadline, the U.S. Treasury Department announced on its website that it had issued a replacement license giving companies 45 days to “wind down” their business and transactions in the OPEC country's oil and gas sector. Washington had repeatedly threatened in recent months to reinstate energy sanctions unless Maduro made good on his promises that led to partial U.S. sanctions relief fromOctober, following an election deal reached between the government and the Venezuelan opposition.
As it turns out, when you pinky-promise to have free elections in exchange for lifting sanctions, and then walk that back the moment it looks politically inconvenient, the sanctions come back down. What a shocker!
Certainly can’t think of any US allies doing worse things right now that might also deserve sanctions
Ah, nothing like a good whataboutism to simp for authoritarian regimes.
Mhmm. Because America would never interfere in a South American election, or threaten economic harm if they don’t play along, not because it loves democracy, but because they’re filthy socialists.
Right, would you like to outline the timeline of Venezuelan socialism and American sanctions for me?
Fuck’s sake.
Sure bro.
Venezuela: Stops doing what America wants, sanctions. Keeps not doing what America wants, coups.
Hope that clears things up.
Thanks for demonstrating utter illiteracy in international affairs. Thinking is too hard, I guess; easier to treat it as a religion.
Uh huh. Hey, why don’t you hop over to a South or Central American community and ask them what they think about it?
You know, you’ve usually got pretty reasonable takes. I think some more, and non-American, perspectives on the matter might do you a lot of good.
Good idea.
I majored in international history. I follow international politics closely. The assumption that American diabolism is the default position amongst non-Americans is nothing but fantasy. In some places, the US retains a good reputation - in others, a predominantly negative one - but the fantasies of American diabolists, where the US is always a negative influence and never does anything, even accidentally, correct, is not a majority opinion outside of a small circlejerk of online leftists.
Where “free elections” = elections approved by the US (with the CIA promoted candidate winning). The US has had a hate boner for Venezuela ever since they dared to nationalize their oil (emphasis on their oil).
Yes, that’s why sanctions have been in place since the 1970s, when the oil industry in Venezuela was nationalized, and not since 2014, when the Maduro regime began cracking down on protests, and why all of the EU and most South American countries have abstained from sanctioning Venezuela.
Right?
… right…?
Oh, wait, of course, no amount of actual facts will stop your kind from kneeling down and licking authoritarian boots when they torture dissidents and disdain democracy, as long as they say “America Bad!” first!
Right, it started in 2014: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2002/apr/21/usa.venezuela
Sorry that you don’t understand what the word ‘sanctions’ means. Perhaps a trip back to middle school could help you.
A coup is even more active opposition than sanctions, genius. It isn’t about their elections, it’s about their oil.