Eric Farnsworth on NPR regarding U.S. Sanctions on Venezuela
Eric Farnsworth on NPR regarding U.S. Sanctions on Venezuela
"The question is: do you try to push sanctions all the way back to the level that they were?" said AS/COA's vice president to the public radio network.
AS/COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth spoke with John Otis of NPR about what the United States will do now that a six-month agreement with Venezuela to improve the conditions of that country's opposition ahead of the July 28 election is about to expire.
In exchange of Venezuela improving those conditions, President Joe Biden's administration lifted most of the oil sanctions on the South American country, which were initially imposed in 2019. However, the government of President Nicolás Maduro has continued to oppress the political opposition by disqualifying opposition leader María Corina Machado, jailing members of her campaign team, and blocking registrations for millions of voters, said Otis.
In his interview with Farnsworth, the vice president of AS/COA said that the United States moved too quickly.
"We lifted the sanctions prematurely, before the Maduro regime had actually done anything, so we took away our own leverage," Farnsworth told Otis.
The expert said that the strong actions of Maduro against the opposition might turn the presidential election into a farce.
"You can't justify not doing anything, in my view. The question is: do you try to push sanctions all the way back to the level that they were?" he added.
Listen to the entire news segment here.
