President Nicolas Maduro and his administration have done whatever it takes to hold onto power in Venezuela. After the country's presidential election, the United States will start to consider heavier sanctions.
An international panel ordered Caracas to pay ConocoPhillips for nationalizing its assets in 2007. To collect, the U.S. oil company is going after Venezuelan facilities in the Caribbean; that move threatens to further erode the country's stability.
If Washington tries to arrange the release of a U.S. citizen in Venezuelan custody, the conversation will inevitably turn to what it will take to get President Nicolas Maduro out of power. But the U.S. government may not like what it hears.
Countries throughout the Americas recognize that Venezuela's descent into catastrophe is a pressing problem, but agreeing on a remedy is easier said than done.
From steel to ethanol, coal and Venezuela, the biggest countries in the Americas are in disagreement, with little hope for reconciliation in sight.
Caracas is rewriting the rules once again, attempting to quash its opposition by calling for simultaneous elections.
Venezuela is launching a cryptocurrency called the petro that it hopes will provide relief for the country's economic woes, but long-term challenges will keep it from seeing the same success as competitors such as bitcoin.
An unconfirmed report suggests Caracas is considering the move. And though it could worsen Venezuela’s already dire situation, it could also offer opportunities for leverage.
Even if Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's administration faces an oil embargo that could plunge its economy further into crisis, it will remain reluctant to allow for free and fair elections.
Venezuela could have a new government in the near future, but even effective reforms won't be enough to cure all its ills.
