Politics, Business & Culture in the Americas

AQ Podcast: Changing U.S. Policy Toward Venezuela

Former officials from both the Trump and Obama administrations argue the U.S. should support Venezuelan elections in 2024.
Reading Time: < 1 minute

At a moment when Nicolás Maduro commemorates 10 years in power in Venezuela, the opposition has agreed to participate in presidential elections in 2024, marking a change to their previous strategy of boycotting them. The United States has spent the past decade trying different measures to remove the Maduro dictatorship for office, most notably in 2019 recognizing opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the country’s interim president, a tactic that did not succeed. Now that the opposition is united, the U.S. should support their decision to move forward with elections, even if they are not ultimately free and fair. That’s what this week’s guests argue, and they call for a bipartisan approach to this support. Juan Cruz was the top official on Latin America at the White House at the beginning of the Trump administration and Mark Feierstein held that same job at the end of the Obama years.

Subscribe to The Americas Quarterly Podcast on AppleSpotifyGoogle and other platforms

Guests:

Mark Feierstein is a senior advisor at Albright Stonebridge Group and CLS Strategies. He was special assistant to President Obama and senior director for Western Hemisphere Affairs on the National Security Council

Juan Cruz is a 35-year veteran of the U.S. Government, is a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He was senior director for Western Hemisphere Affairs on the National Security Council under President Trump

Brian Winter is the editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly

Suggested readings and podcast episodes:

A Bipartisan U.S. Approach On Venezuela Is Possible—and Necessary by Juan Cruz and Mark Feierstein

A New, Realistic Era for Venezuela’s Opposition by Guillermo Zubillaga

Venezuela Isn’t on Track for 2024 Elections by Guillermo Zubillaga

AQ Podcast: Moisés Naím on Latin America’s Bright Spots and Challenges

Venezuela’s Ad Hoc Economic Recovery Is Not Yet Sustainable by Raúl Stolk



Tags: AQ Podcast, Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Joe Biden América Latina, Nicolás Maduro, Sanctions, U.S. Policy, United States, Venezuela
Like what you've read? Subscribe to AQ for more.
Any opinions expressed in this piece do not necessarily reflect those of Americas Quarterly or its publishers.
Sign up for our free newsletter