Senator Marco Rubio has criticized the Biden administration's approach to handling the situation in Venezuela, particularly in relation to the country's leader, Nicolas Maduro. Rubio argues that the current administration's stance has inadvertently strengthened the Maduro regime and emboldened its authoritarian aspirations.
Rubio suggests that the problem lies with the people around President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who believe that negotiation can lead to positive outcomes in any situation. However, Rubio insists that negotiation is not always possible, especially when it comes to authoritarians intent on staying in power.
Anti-government protests have been ongoing in Venezuela following presidential elections in late July. Despite pre-election polls indicating strong support for opposition candidate Edmundo González, the Maduro-controlled National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner with a 51% margin of victory. This led to peaceful protests, which were met with police repression and subsequent violence.
In response to accusations of unfair elections, Maduro requested an audit from the country's Supreme Court. However, critics argue that Maduro's United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) has such control over the judiciary that it is compromised.
The Biden administration declared Gonzalez the rightful winner of the election, citing overwhelming evidence. The US State Department stressed that Maduro's victory had no supporting evidence and that no international partner or ally concluded that Maduro received more votes.
Last October, the United States negotiated the Barbados Accord between Maduro and opposition parties, seeking free and fair elections in exchange for sanctions relief. However, Maduro reneged on the deal by suspending the primaries over alleged corruption just a month after signing the deal.
The State Department allowed the relief, known as General License 44, to expire in April, despite acknowledging that Maduro had fulfilled some of the campaign promises.
Jorge Jraissati, an expert on Venezuelan foreign policy, expressed disappointment with the Biden administration's approach to Venezuela, saying it lacked a strategy and relied on empty promises from Maduro. He emphasized the need for a strategic approach to bring freedom to Venezuela, leveraging the brain power of the United States and its vast geo-economic tools.
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