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.
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.
Mmhhmm.
I don’t see them asking for American intervention anywhere in that. Weird.
What the fuck does not asking for American invention have to do with US sanctions for blatantly undemocratic activity that’s been roundly condemned by democratic nations both in the region and abroad?