Life in Venezuela continues to be an exercise in fear and intimidation. The virulently anti-American regime continues to work jointly with Russian and Iranian military interests, suppresses free speech, and brutally oppresses political opposition. Those calling for freedom are incarcerated without trial. The government authorizes paramilitary organizations to perform acts of violence on those with the courage to speak out against its atrocities. In one rare case where a non-establishment candidate, Antonio Ledezma, did succeed in winning an election as mayor of Caracas, the government robbed him of authority by creating an alternative city hall.
Venezuela’s problems deeply affect the United States. Some of those arriving illegally on our southern border are escaping the terrible conditions in their homeland. But Venezuela has far more dangerous exports, as well. The national government utilizes its oil wealth to finance military threats against both the U.S. and its Latin American neighbors, purchasing arms and expertise from China, Iran, and Russia.
It is, as noted by The Menges Hemispheric Security Report which has reported on this problem, “heavily involved in the drug trade…Venezuela is the only country in Latin America that willingly makes its ports and airports available to drug cartels and harbors their leadership and operatives.”
Luis Fleischman, writing for Menges, notes that although the House of Representatives has passed legislation enabling sanctions on Venezuela, the Senate has failed to go along.