Rubio, Scott Urge Sanctions against Venezuela
Rubio, Scott Urge Sanctions against Venezuela
The U.S. needs to strike a tricky balance of showing disapproval without overly inserting itself, points out COA’s Eric Farnsworth as Venezuelan expats protest across the U.S.
DORAL, Fla. -- U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and Florida Gov. Rick Scott told a crowd of Venezuelans in Miami on Friday they are urging the U.S. government to instate sanctions against the South American country where nationwide protests against President Nicolas Maduro have turned deadly.
Rubio has introduced a resolution in the Senate calling for visa bans and asset freezes against Venezuelan leaders involved in human rights violations against protesters. Scott has sent a letter to President Barack Obama calling for similar sanctions revoking the U.S. visa of anyone involved in the attacks.
"President Obama doesn't need a resolution to do that," Rubio told more than hundred people gathered, many dressed in the blue, red and yellow colors of the Venezuelan flag at El Arepazo 2, a popular gathering spot for the expat community in Miami. "He can do it today."
South Florida is home to the largest concentration of Venezuelans in the U.S. Many fled during the presidency of the late Hugo Chavez and are stridently against his successor, Maduro. They cheered and draped Scott and Rubio with the Venezuelan flag....
Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas and Americas Society think tank, said he understood the frustration that has been expressed by some in the Venezuelan community that the U.S. should more sharply denounce the violence in Venezuela. But he said the U.S. needs to strike a tricky balance of showing disapproval without overly inserting itself, in particular because of its history in the region.
"Looking at it in the context of international diplomacy, and trying to find a path forward in a very complicated scenario, you don't want to do things prematurely that could make things look worse," he said.
Venezuelans in Miami have been collecting humanitarian items to send to Venezuela, holding protests nearly every day and pressuring political leaders to condemn the violence....
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