As the Crisis in Venezuela Grows, the Options Narrow

In effect, what was intended as a swift operation to pry out a nasty despot has turned into a stalemate while Venezuela further disintegrates, lately with long, debilitating blackouts. That is not to argue that Mr. Trump should become more aggressive. Mr. Maduro and his patron in the Kremlin may have called Washington’s bluff for now, leaving the American president with his own “red-line moment,” as David E. Sanger wrote in The Times, reminiscent of President Barack Obama’s failure to follow up on his threats against President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. But a military intervention in a country bigger than Texas would be ugly, even if Russia did not get further involved, and nearly all the other nations backing Mr. Guaidó firmly opposed one. The reality is that Mr. Trump has no real option but to wait. It is hard to conceive that Mr. Maduro will hang on indefinitely, or that his generals will not see the writing on the wall as the situation becomes ever more dire. More…

US asks United Nations Security Council to meet on Venezuela aid

The United States on Thursday requested that the UN Security Council hold a meeting next week to discuss the worsening humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, diplomats said. The meeting, expected to be held on Wednesday, comes amid growing alarm over the impact of the economic and political crises in Venezuela on families and children. An internal UN report seen by AFP last week said seven million people -- about 24 percent of Venezuela's population -- are in need of humanitarian aid, lacking access to food and medical care. Some 3.7 million people suffer from undernourishment -- three times the rate from the 2010-2012 period, according to the UN report. At least 22 percent of children under five suffer from chronic malnutrition. More…

Venezuelan Remittances Don’t Just Save Lives

Venezuela’s regime has learned this lesson and already found ways to tap into remittances. With most of the money going to food, medicine, and basic necessities, it lessens the pressure on the regime to provide for its citizens, where even $20 a month can keep a family going. Some of the money coming in ends up directly in the regime’s pockets.  Customs duties, taxes on cryptocurrency and other financial transfers, an unfavorable official exchange rate, and outright bribes all take a cut of family support. One anecdote: A Venezuelan friend sends home Amazon care packages via a woman in Tampa. For every $100 worth of powdered milk, pasta, Doritos, and other non-perishables, he pays an extra $500 to ensure the goods make it across the sea, through customs, and to the family’s apartment in Caracas. More…

US renews call on Russian personnel to leave Venezuela

The Trump administration is renewing calls for Moscow to withdraw its military personnel from Venezuela, where they are helping prop up embattled President Nicolas Maduro. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told “Fox & Friends” on Friday that he’s seen no signs the Russian personnel were leaving and that Moscow’s involvement might “get worse before it gets better.” The U.S. and several dozen other nations have recognized Venezuela’s opposition leader as interim president, while Russia and China have staunchly backed Maduro. More…

Venezuela's oil production drops by half during blackouts

Rolling blackouts across much of the country that started on March 7 paralyzed most of the country’s oil wells and rigs, which have slowly come back online. Oil output averaged less than 600,000 bpd during the blackouts, the people said, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public. For the full month, daily production was 890,000 bbl, according to a Bloomberg survey of officials, analysts and ship-tracking data. The loss of production due to the blackouts deals another blow to Venezuela’s already-crippled oil industry, already reeling from years of mismanagement and U.S. sanctions that removed its biggest customer. The nation’s crude output, one of the few sources of cash for Nicolas Maduro’s regime, has tumbled by two-thirds since before PDVSA workers went on strike in December 2002. More…