Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro has embarked on an aggressive campaign to annex some 160,000 square kilometers of territory belonging to Guyana, following the December 3 consultative referendum. The referendum sought to gauge the opinions of voters on five issues relating to a long-standing dispute between Venezuela and its eastern border neighbor. [ … ]
Venezuela
Maduro Returns from China with Little More than Promises
Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro traveled to the People’s Republic of China hoping to get fresh cash to advance his populist agenda. Chinese President Xi Jinping received him during his five-day stay in September, signing 31 documents including pledges, agreements, and memorandums of understanding. Upon his return, Maduro could only offer the [ … ]
Venezuelan Criminal Leader Escape Sparks International Manhunt
In the early morning hours of September 20, Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro sent thousands of police officers and service members to the Judicial Prison of Aragua state. Better known as Tocorón, the prison, located 100 kilometers west of Caracas, has become the main center of operations of international mega-gang Tren de [ … ]
Guyana, Venezuela Essequibo Dispute Exacerbates
As the territorial dispute over the Essequibo intensifies, Guyana, is putting its foot down, rejecting negotiations with Venezuela. “The time for negotiation is over. There will be no need for talks with Nicolás Maduro,” Guyanese Prime Minister Mark Phillips said during an extraordinary session of the Guyanese Legislature in early [ … ]
Guyana Seeks UN Court Protection in ‘Sinister’ Venezuela Territorial Claim
Guyana has asked the U.N.'s highest court to stop a Venezuelan referendum on whether or not to annex the oil-rich Essequibo region both South American nations lay claim to. Venezuela has for decades argued that the 160,000-square-kilometer (62,000-square-mile) region administered by Guyana should fall within its borders -— a contention [ … ]
Maduro Fails in Fight Against Money Laundering
The regime of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro failed the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force’s (CFATF) latest mutual evaluation report, which described the country’s actions in the fight against money laundering and terrorism financing as “deficient.” The CFATF is a multilateral institution that brings together 24 countries of the region, whose purpose [ … ]
Leader of Tren de Aragua Faction Arrested in Peru
The ringleader of criminal organization Dinastía Alayón, a faction of Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua, was arrested in Peru along with 30 other alleged members of that gang, authorities in the South American country reported on October 5. “Resounding blow to the transnational criminal organization Dinastía Alayón - Tren de [ … ]
Anti-democratic Countries Exploit Latin American Dictatorships
Authoritarian countries such as China, Iran, and Russia have found a gateway through dictatorships in Latin America to gain influence in the region, according to the report Latin America Needs a Wake-Up Call, from the U.S. think tank The Heritage Foundation. “These nations take advantage of corruption in Cuba, Nicaragua, [ … ]
Venezuela’s Maduro Baselessly Accuses Guyana’s Ali of Violating Treaty of Geneva
Venezuela's National Assembly unanimously approved a national referendum that would seek support for Venezuela’s “defense” of the disputed Essequibo, a resource-rich strip of land controlled and administered by Guyana, “against the American empire,” Reuters reported on September 23, citing Venezuela’s Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil Pinto. Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali [ … ]
Maduro Smothers Venezuelan Universities
For a decade, Venezuela’s higher academia has been suffering from an institutional dismantling plan orchestrated by Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro for not bowing to his authoritarianism, Tulio Ramírez, a tenured Venezuelan professor at the Andrés Bello Catholic University, told international research platform The Conversation. “The essence of the plan of attack [ … ]
Maduro Follows Ortega’s Footsteps and Goes After the Venezuelan Red Cross
In a similar move to that of Nicaragua’s dictator Daniel Ortega, Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro regime went after the Red Cross on August 4, raising the alarm among human rights organizations about the crackdown on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating in the country. In May, the Nicaraguan regime abolished the humanitarian organization [ … ]
Maduro Increases Dependence on Iran to Preserve Oil Industry
Following the departure of former Venezuelan Oil Minister Tareck el Aissami in March, the Nicolás Maduro regime increased its dependence on Iran to keep the oil industry afloat. In June, president of state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) and Oil Minister Pedro Tellechea, signed a memorandum of understanding with his Iranian [ … ]