U.S.-Venezuela Relations in the 21st Century: Sanctions against Venezuelan Officials
Author
Højen, Louise
Term
4. term
Publication year
2015
Submitted on
2015-05-29
Pages
77
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvorfor USA i 2014 fremsatte et sanktionslovforslag målrettet venezuelanske embedsmænd forbundet med menneskerettighedskrænkelser. Det gør det ved at gennemgå relationerne mellem USA og Venezuela siden præsidentperioderne under Hugo Chávez og Nicolás Maduro, og ved at se på, hvordan politiske modkræfter i begge lande har påvirket både indenrigs- og udenrigspolitik. Specialet analyserer også USA’s og Venezuelas interesser i Latinamerika og betydningen af regionale blokke (samarbejder mellem lande) for ændringer i deres udenrigspolitik. Teoretisk bygger specialet på realisme – især Mearsheimers offensive realisme (en teori om, at stater søger magt for at øge deres sikkerhed) – samt begreber fra international politisk økonomi, geopolitik og den internationale samfundstradition. Tilsammen bruges disse til at vise, at flere typer strukturer former staters handlinger, og at international politik rummer både rivalisering og samarbejde. Konklusionen er, at sanktionslovforslaget skyldtes flere forskydninger i USA–Venezuela-forholdet siden Chávez’ tid. Forholdet er præget af konkurrence gennem soft balancing – ikke-militære modtræk, der skal begrænse en anden stats indflydelse – i Latinamerika. Venezuelas regering søger mindre amerikansk indblanding gennem øget regional integration og autonomi, processer som landets olieindtægter har understøttet. USA derimod ønsker et regimeskifte i Venezuela, der er mere imødekommende over for amerikanske interesser; lovforslaget lægger yderligere pres og kan ses som et forsøg på at forny USA’s regionale lederskab. Samtidig er lovforslagets legitimitet omstridt, og selv om international bekymring over menneskerettigheder i Venezuela er forståelig, finder specialet ikke grundlag for, at USA har ret til at blande sig i Venezuelas interne anliggender eller til at sanktionere venezuelanske embedsmænd gennem målrettede sanktioner.
This thesis examines why, in 2014, the United States introduced a sanctions bill aimed at Venezuelan officials linked to human rights violations. It does so by tracing the history of U.S.–Venezuela relations under Presidents Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro and by analyzing how opposing political forces in both countries shaped domestic and foreign policy. The study also considers U.S. and Venezuelan interests in Latin America and the role of regional blocs (groups of countries cooperating in the region) in shifts in their foreign policies. The theoretical approach draws on realism—especially Mearsheimer’s offensive realism (a theory that states seek power to enhance their security)—as well as concepts from international political economy, geopolitics, and the international society tradition. Together, these perspectives show that multiple structures shape state behavior and that international politics involves both rivalry and cooperation. The thesis concludes that the sanctions bill resulted from several changes in U.S.–Venezuela relations since the Chávez era. The relationship is marked by competition through soft balancing—non-military measures used to limit another state’s influence—across Latin America. Venezuela’s government seeks less U.S. involvement through greater regional integration and autonomy, supported by its oil wealth. The United States, by contrast, seeks a regime change in Venezuela more favorable to U.S. interests; the bill adds pressure and can be seen as a strategy to renew U.S. regional leadership. At the same time, the bill’s legitimacy is highly contested, and while international concern about human rights in Venezuela is understandable, the thesis finds no basis for a U.S. right to intervene in Venezuela’s domestic affairs or to sanction Venezuelan officials through targeted measures.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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