Negotiate What, Exactly?
While Delcy Rodriguez can be seen in Brussels in the same table with several presidents and opposition negotiator Gerardo Blyde, the reality is that the government seems to be leaving openness behind
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The Sanctions Talk Gets Louder
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Venezuela on the web
While the choir against U.S. imposed sanctions (on Venezuela) has been loud of late, Chatham House’s Chris Sabatini wrote a Foreign Policy piece that is worthy of comment. His argument here is that the sanction strategy is eroding U.S. influence and undermining U.S. interests. The test case: Venezuela.
“…The Maduro government has also taken advantage of the large outflow of bonds at bargain prices to engineer debt-for-asset swaps. Under this scheme, bonds sold by regulated U.S. institutional investors are purchased by unregulated entities of unknown provenance outside of the United States and then swapped at inflated prices with Caracas or PDVSA for assets. The switch does not cancel the debt but simply promises payment to holders via goods, services, or the closing of pending claims. Backed by assets, those bonds can be sold again on the market for cash, allowing them to be purchased by non-U.S.-regulated entities with the promise of lucrative assets in Venezuela’s energy industry—giving them control over critical global energy supplies.”
The sanction talk is getting louder, could a strategy change be in the cards? What shiuld be the sensible move here? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Opposition primary frontrunner MCM gets menacing graffiti from Colombia’s ELN. As this process moves forward we’re likely to see increasing violence from chavista aligned armed groups.
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