Friends who are familiar with the world political pattern must know that South America has always been regarded as a "back garden" by the United States, and most countries have been "conditioned" to be submissive. Venezuela, however, is a different kind of person, since Maduro became president, he has become a veritable "anti-American fighter", unequivocally insisting on fighting the United States, and even more so the opposition forces supported by the United States.
Even after encountering long-term US sanctions and even facing a military attack at one point, the Maduro government has not yielded, fully demonstrating the backbone of a tough guy leader. However, a recent piece of news surprised many people. The Venezuelan government has publicly stated that it has reached an agreement with the United States that economic sanctions that have lasted for years will be fully lifted. At the same time, Maduro will also reconcile with Guaido, the opposition leader supported by the United States, and will jointly launch free presidential elections next year.
First, let's look at this statement from the Venezuelan government. Relevant content shows that since the beginning of this year, the Venezuelan government, the US government and the opposition camp have held tripartite talks, the core of which is the lifting of economic sanctions and joint elections. Both of these things can be said to be old problems that have plagued the Maduro regime for many years. In terms of economic sanctions, since 2015, the United States and its allies have imposed more than 900 sanctions on Venezuela, which has hit the country's economic development hard.
In the joint election, Guaidó is the leader of the opposition camp supported by the United States, and his series of contradictions and disputes with the Maduro regime have left Venezuela in a state of turmoil for a long time. Since it is the United States that can really influence the two issues, Venezuela must ease relations with the United States if it wants to break the deadlock. Judging from the statement, Venezuela's 2024 presidential election will be a multi-party joint election, supervised by EU and United Nations officials, which is obviously the result of the United States.
Maduro's concessions gave opposition Guaido a chance to return to the center of Venezuelan power, and in return, Maduro received a promise from the United States to lift the energy ban, which is undoubtedly a win-win situation. Therefore, when participating in Venezuela's domestic TV program, Maduro confessed that everything is for peace. From being an anti-American fighter to now compromising with the United States, Maduro has not become as weak as everyone thinks, but a helpless move based on national interests.
Recall that in 2018, Maduro, who was re-elected in the presidential election, was in high spirits, but the United States openly interfered in Venezuela's internal affairs and stated that it would not recognize the election. Under the manipulation and support of the United States, Guaidó, then president of the Venezuelan parliament, proclaimed himself "interim president". Since then, Venezuela has been in trouble, and the struggle between Maduro's government and Guaidó's opposition forces has intensified. With the support of the United States, opposition forces have even attempted to overthrow the regime through a military coup. Not only that, after Venezuela and the United States severed diplomatic relations, US sanctions continued to increase, Venezuela's oil company assets in the United States were frozen, and crude oil exports were banned. At the most acute moment of the conflict, the US military intelligence department even sent mercenaries to invade Venezuela, and there are signs of staging version 2.0 of the "Bay of Pigs incident". Against the great powers, Venezuela is scarred.
This time, Venezuela reached a reconciliation with the United States, and it may be the United States that is more active. On the one hand, Venezuela has the world's largest oil reserves, which has always been coveted by the United States. The global energy crisis continues to ferment, and oil prices have been at a high level for a long time, which makes Venezuela's status as a resource power more prominent. After the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the United States took the initiative to reconcile with Venezuela, which not only allowed the Douro government to tide over the difficulties, but also brought opportunities to find new energy supply markets.
On the other hand, as the presidential election approaches, the Biden team must also actively strive for all favorable resources. Venezuela's illegal immigration has long plagued many U.S. cities, especially Democratic-controlled ones, which have pointed the finger at the White House in the face of millions of Venezuelan refugees entering the country. The settlement and the repatriation of illegal immigrants are also the focus of negotiations between the U.S. and Venezuelan governments. Solving this conundrum, Biden will undoubtedly get more votes. It can only be said that the former anti-American fighter Maduro can put aside his hatred, and the "carrot + stick" policy of the United States is still effective. The strategic defeat in the Middle East has made the US government fully aware that hegemony alone will not go well. Today, the United States, which relies more on ingenuity and precision to break the game, is more savvy, and its series of "soft tricks" really want to attract our attention.