US weaves economic web to effect regime change in Cuba, Iran, and Venezuela Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (19 October 2019) — Cuba, Venezuela, and Iran share a common space in president Donald Trump’s geopolitical hypothesis. The Trump administration operates on the premise that robust sanctions regimes which isolate the three countries from the international financial system, in particular by denying them access to US banking facilities, by restricting their access to international...
Trump squeezing Cuba to pressure Venezuela could backfire on the U.S. Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (April 20, 2019) — President Donald Trump Administration’s continued pressure on Cuba has two intended consequences. The first is to reverse President Barack Obama’s rapprochement with the Cuban Government, then led by President Raul Castro, with the aim of appeasing some members of the Cuban-American community as payback for the strong support Trump received from them in the 2016...
CaribNation TV discussion provides differing views on Venezuela (23 Feb. 2019) — CaribNation TV’s host Paul Nehru Tennassee moderated a lively discussion of opposing views on the crisis in Venezuela. His two guests, while sharing different perspectives on the root causes of the political crisis in Venezuela and on who is to be blamed, both agreed that the only solution is for dialogue among the parties.
Trump officially recognizes Venezuela’s Guaido as Interim President of Venezuela Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (23 Jan. 2019) — U.S. President Donald Trump issued a statement Wednesday officially recognizing the President of the Venezuelan National Assembly, Juan Guaido, as the Interim President of Venezuela. President Trump announced his decision in a tweet in which he said: “The citizens of Venezuela have suffered for too long at the hands of the illegitimate Maduro regime. Today, I...
What’s next for Venezuela – Trump v. Putin in the Americas Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (27 Dec. 2018) — The Trump administration’s relentless economic and political pressure on Venezuela government over the past two years is rattling Nicolás Maduro’s regime. Despite his braggadocio – putting on a brave face – Maduro is feeling the pressure. He is extremely worried that Trump will take or engineer some form of military action to remove him from power. Trump’s bellicose...
Trump’s Preference for Use of Military Intervention Subverts Diplomacy and Threatens Venezuela Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (08 July 2018) — The recent baring of a not so unexpected truth by media sources that the U.S. president gave serious thought in August 2017 to invading Venezuela early in his presidency is further confirmation that President Donald Trump’s foreign policy is defined more by the reckless use of U.S. military power rather than utilizing diplomacy to resolve...
Sanctions and Regime Change – Iran and Venezuela Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (22 May 2018) –When President Barack Obama first imposed sanctions on Venezuela in 2015, the stated purpose and subsequent actions by the Obama Administration were to effect behavior change in Venezuelan leadership, not to replace the Nicolás Maduro government. There was mounting evidence Maduro was pursuing a non-democratic path; human rights violations were becoming the norm; and rule-of-law and justice in...
Cuba and Venezuela in Trump’s Cross-Hairs Ambassador Curtis A. Ward Characterizing Cuba and Venezuela as “communist and socialist dictatorships,” against which sanctions have been imposed, in his State of the Union address 30 January 2018 should come as no surprise to anyone tracking President Donald Trump’s prior statements and actions towards these two countries. President Trump’s targeting of Cuba and Venezuela carries out promises he made repeatedly to supporters during his...
Tillerson’s Jamaica visit will divide CARICOM, Unless… Ambassador Curtis A. Ward While Secretary Rex Tillerson’s scheduled visit to Jamaica has been received with some level of scepticism, any visit by a U.S. Secretary of State to Jamaica should be welcome news. Ordinarily, such visits are expressions of good working relationships, and often used to strengthen ties even further. On the other hand, there are also visits by U.S. Secretaries of State which are triggered by disagreements on...
Hemispheric Issues under the Radar as Global Tensions Rise Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (14 Oct. 2017) -– Rising tensions over the past several weeks between the United States and two foreign adversaries – North Korea and Iran have focused our attention globally while we pay scant attention to issues in the Western Hemisphere. Important developments in the hemisphere between the United States and the countries of Cuba and Venezuela should be watched carefully by the governments and people of...
