“His repression, corruption and mismanagement have generated one of the direst humanitarian crises this hemisphere has seen,” the state department spokesperson, Ned Price, declared in February 2021.
Yet 2022 appears to have heralded a new dawn for Washington-Caracas ties, as geopolitical shifts caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and political deadlock in the economically devastated South American country prompt a major policy rethink from Joe Biden’s administration – and offer Venezuela’s authoritarian leader a once improbable political lifeline.
Last week, the US announced a gentle easing of the economic sanctions it has spent years using to push for political change in Venezuela – including against a nephew of its first lady.
“Venezuela hopes that these decisions by the United States of America will pave the way to the total lifting of the illegal sanctions which affect our entire people,” the country’s vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, tweeted in English as the news emerged.
This story is from the May 27, 2022 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
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This story is from the May 27, 2022 edition of The Guardian Weekly.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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