by RICARDO VAZ
After an opening that suggested a more pragmatic approach, the Trump administration has since ramped up its attacks against Venezuela.
The Trump administration is barely two months into its term but every day feels like a rollercoaster. Migrants get rounded up, threats fly everywhere, and now a brutal bombing campaign is underway in Yemen. Wholehearted support for genocide in Palestine is the one constant.
When it comes to Venezuela, analysts put forward different scenarios for US policy approaches, ranging from a rehashing of Trump 1.0’s “maximum pressure” to more pragmatic scenarios that would see Washington leverage foreign policy weapons to favor US corporate interests.
An early direct engagement between the White House and the Maduro government created the illusion of a more heterodox and less hostile approach. However, all the subsequent moves point in a different direction. Trump is maximizing pressure against Venezuela.
What happens to Chevron?
Chevron’s license to operate in Venezuela was seen by most as a bellwether of where the US’ re-elected reality-show host wanted to go. Allowing Chevron to continue would mean an admission that regime change was not in the cards and that a US energy giant should keep making profits. Driving Chevron out clearly meant trying to strangle Venezuela by all means possible.
After a lot of speculation, pressure from Florida’s “crazy Cuban” representatives led to the US Treasury Department withdrawing the company’s sanctions waiver and giving it 30 days, until April 2, to wind down operations.
However, Chevron later saw its deadline extended to May 27. The question is now whether this is really the end of the road or if Chevron could eventually remain on recurrent short-term licenses. This middle-ground policy would ensure the conglomerate does not suffer losses but also would discourage it from making any significant investments to boost production.
Venezuela Analysis for more