Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-TN) has begun a visit to Venezuela, amidst an economic and political crisis that is compounded by alleged drug trafficking by senior members of the regime of President Nicolás Maduro. Corker’s visit has raised hopes among members of the Venezuelan democratic opposition, who believe their plight has been ignored for too long by their US and Latin American neighbors.
In accepting the invitation from opposition members to visit the South American country, Senator Corker becomes the most senior member of Congress in many months who will be able to witness firsthand the crisis affecting Venezuela. In addition to meeting opposition leaders who are besieged by an increasingly authoritarian regime, Corker will also have an opportunity to confront President Nicolás Maduro to seek the release of political prisoners, press for democratic elections, and discuss the troubling allegations of drug trafficking and money laundering by leaders of the regime.
Unlike the ill-conceived and controversial June 13th meeting between the State Department’s Counselor, Ambassador Thomas Shannon, with accused drug kingpin Diosdado Cabello, Senator Corker’s visit could send a positive signal that the US Congress will defend democracy, freedom of expression, and economic liberty, rather than seek to normalize ties with a criminal regime that is abusing the Venezuelan people.
Nevertheless, Corker must be very careful not to be manipulated by Venezuelan officials and their Cuban handlers, who have been running circles around US diplomats for decades. It is likely that the Tennessee Republican is well-briefed on the prodigious corruption within the regime, leading him to be skeptical and tough in insisting on greater freedom leading up to December 6th parliamentary elections. Because Maduro and the criminals around him can ill afford election results that might expose their corruption, they are resisting the opposition’s calls for neutral international election observers and a more level playing field. Corker’s visit and continuing attention by the US Congress may be the best hope for free and fair elections and political change.
Senator Corker has been known to push back against secretive and unaccountable foreign policy. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, he is in a unique position to represent the views of his colleagues and ensure that US diplomats are advocating for democracy and the rule of law in Venezuela rather than favoring a soft-landing for a corrupt and repressive regime.
Outspoken Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado—who was stripped of her congressional seat by Cabello—was among the first to welcome Corker’s visit. “US Senators will come to Venezuela and learn firsthand the reality, without anyone telling them stories,” Machado commented on her Twitter account. “We hope that US Senators that come to Venezuela will demand the release of all political prisoners and ask for electoral guarantees,” she added.
The impending meltdown in Venezuela is very dangerous for the stability of the region. Nearly 20 years of populist authoritarian rule has spawned an economic, political, security, and social disaster. Although it is defensible to seek to avert the country’s collapse, doing so in a way that saves the current regime for the sake of “stability” will prolong the suffering of the Venezuelan people and heighten the prospects of a more violent outcome.
Senator Corker and several other democratic leaders who have visited Venezuela in recent months understand that it is irresponsible to turn a blind eye and hope that the crisis there will not affect their countries. By exercising firm leadership, they can help the Venezuelan people liberate themselves and rebuild mutually beneficial partnerships with their neighbors.
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