Author: Michael Shifter
-
What Does Assad’s Collapse Mean for Latin America?
This post is also available in: Português Español International attention remained fixed on the Middle East in December when the regime of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad capitulated to rebel forces. The week after Assad fled Damascus, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña visited Israel, which remains engaged in conflict directly and via proxy with Hezbollah and Iran, both…
-
Farewell Comandante: Venezuela without Chávez
Since Hugo Chavez first came to power in Venezuela in early 1999, there has been no shortage of speculation about how the regime would ultimately end and what scenarios would eventually follow. Yet few, if any, contemplated the possibility that Chavez would end up leaving the political scene he so thoroughly dominated for 14 years…
-
Where Are U.S. Relations With Venezuela Headed?
A day after Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election in November, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro congratulated him and called Trump’s victory “a new start” for bilateral relations. During his first term in office, Trump toughened sanctions on Venezuela, including on its oil industry. While Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, Sen.…