Press Memorandum: Washington's Human Trafficking Charges Drag Down U.S.-Venezuelan Relations

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Council On Hemispheric Affairs
Monitoring Political, Economic and Diplomatic Issues Affecting the Western Hemisphere
Memorandum to the Press 04.70

Word Count: 1700

Thursday, 7 October 2004

 

Washington’s Human Trafficking Charges Drag Down
U.S.-Venezuelan Relations

• Is the administration flip-flopping on Venezuela?

• U.S. sanctions against Caracas further damage already tenuous diplomatic ties between the two nations.

• In September, the State Department humiliated Chávez with human trafficking charges, but now has switched to constructive rhetoric. Is this confusion or does it represent a policy?

• By threatening to block Venezuela's access to international loans with its de facto veto in international lending institutions, the Bush administration is attempting to punish President Chávez for his August 15 referendum victory and to placate domestic critics who increasingly are complaining that the White House was being too soft on Chávez.

• The deterioration of bilateral relations could threaten the much needed flow of Venezuelan oil to bolster the United States' still sputtering economy.

• Domestic political considerations in relation to the November presidential election are at the heart of the White House’s action against the Chávez government.

• Like Washington’s certification process, in which the performance of foreign governments’ anti-narcotics and counter-terrorism efforts is evaluated, Washington’s procedures for monitoring foreign governments’ human trafficking records are completely devoid of objectivity or meaningful standards.

Although faced with rising international oil prices, Washington has, in an almost consciously destructive mode, once again placed ideology over national interests by single-mindedly aggravating its already strained relationship with Venezuela. The U.S.’ oil-rich southern neighbor provides approximately 1.4 million barrels per day to satisfy the country’s burgeoning energy needs, and has become the fourth largest foreign supplier of petroleum to the U.S. By attempting to punish Venezuela for the outcome of the August 15 referendum, through the imposition of economic sanctions in response to the Chávez government’s alleged failure to crack down on international human trafficking, both in its language as well as its actions, the Bush administration has once again demonstrated a repellently vindictive nature. Washington’s decision is patently based more on domestic political considerations than on Caracas’ record regarding human trafficking. With two months still to go before the U.S. presidential elections in which Florida’s key electoral votes are at stake, the Bush administration has targeted Venezuela in order to appease Florida’s staunchly anti-Castro constituency, as well as its growing anti-Chávez Venezuelan expatriate population, hoping to assure victory on November 2 in the pivotal swing state. The debasement of an important global issue through such political skullduggery has not only placed U.S.-Venezuelan relations at an all time low, it also has raised questions over the visceral nature of Washington’s commitment to democratic ideals throughout the hemisphere. Washington’s anti-human trafficking actions also represent a telling indictment of the level of cynicism which exists within the White House and the Department of State, where there is little ethical substance to distinguish Bush’s chief political handler Karl R

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This analysis was prepared by Larry Birns and Mark Scott, respectively Director and Research Fellow of the Washington-based Council on Hemispheric Affairs.

Additional research was provided by David R. Kolker and Eric Lynn, COHA Research Associates.

October 7, 2004

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ove from the supposedly respectable Secretary of State, Colin Powell.