On December 20th, 2023, U.S. President Biden and Venezuelan President Maduro brokered a mutually advantageous exchange of prisoners. The exchange returned 20 U.S. citizens who were wrongfully detained in Venezuela back to the U.S. while Biden extradited Leonard Glenn Francis “Fat Leonard” and Alex Saab, high-stakes prisoners who both had significant stakes in Venezuela. The majority of the American prisoners’ identities were not released for protection, however, two members of the U.S. Army Special Forces, Luke Denman, and Airan Berry were detained. Denman and Berry were captured in 2020, after President Trump launched a failed attempt to overthrow the Maduro government. The release of wrongfully detained U.S. citizens throughout the world was a major initiative of the Biden Administration and this has proven to be the largest release of U.S. citizens from Venezuela ever. This deal was in conjunction with Biden lessening sanctions on Venezuela and Maduro agreeing to provide for clear pathways toward a democratic election in Venezuela in 2024.
Reuters quotes Maduro as saying this move, “marks a step toward new diplomatic relations between Venezuela and the U.S.” The U.S. has had significantly strained diplomatic and economic relations with Venezuela since 2017, when 350 sanctions were made on the country due to governmental corruption.
This series of agreements by Biden and Maduro have marked a revolutionary kind of armistice between the two countries. Generations of U.S. presidents have attempted to battle the corruption prevalent throughout Venezuela, however, none have been successful. This agreement is different from those in the past as Biden transparently articulated his expectations to Maduro. This included timelines and consequences if these obligations were left unfulfilled. In addition to this, Biden and Maduro have provided one another demonstrations of good faith via the exchange of prisoners. Some members of Congress were against this as they felt Biden was gambling with American citizens’ lives against an untrustworthy opponent, however, the success of this endeavor shows promise for the rest of the agreement as well.
Historically, the U.S. has tried to support Venezuela in overcoming dictatorships that destroyed the economy and created humanitarian crises. Since 2017, the U.S. government has funneled $2.8 billion in assistance to Venezuelans, however, the Venezuelan government has been unwilling to adhere to U.S. policies corresponding with this aid such as drug and arms control. Hugo Chavez and Nicholas Maduro are the most notable opponents. Maduro is currently accused of fixing the most recent Venezuelan presidential elections. As of 2019, the U.S. embassy in Venezuela was closed and any aid that was provided to Venezuela from the U.S. was facilitated through the Venezuela Affairs Unit of the Colombian Embassy in Bogota, Colombia. Despite domestic and international calls for a restoration of democracy in Venezuela, Maduro continues to consolidate power and the state of the humanitarian crisis keeps expanding.
There has been some concern within the U.S. that this move will unintentionally incentivize hostage-taking. However, Maduro has already begun allowing opposition candidates for his 2024 run to appeal their election bans. While the outcome of these appeals has yet to be seen, this is farther than Maduro has ever gone in enshrining free and fair elections in Venezuela. In addition to this, personnel who were arrested due to their associations with opposition candidates are having their arrest warrants vacated, so it is clear that Maduro is abiding by Biden’s guidelines corresponding with the relaxation of U.S. sanctions. This will work to increase stability in the region as well as in the country and promote democracy and peace in a country that has not had either of these luxuries for decades.
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