Why the United States’ maximum pressure approach toward Nicolás Maduro is unlikely to stabilize Venezuela

At the end of March, the US Justice Department charged Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro, and other government officials with “narcoterrorism”. John Polga-Hecimovich writes that, along with sanctions and naval counternarcotics operations near Venezuela, the charges are part of the Trump administration’s campaign to oust Maduro in favor of Juan Guaidó. And while this strategy may ultimately be successful, he argues, it will likely do little to help re-establish democracy in Venezuela in the long term.