1 min read
The Fraught Path Forward: Venezuela and the International Contact Group
The goal is a sustainable agreement that can change the relationship between the contenders, from enemies that cannot coexist to political competitors that can.
David Smilde
WOLA Senior Fellow and the Charles A. and Leo M. Favrot Professor of Human Relations at Tulane University
David Smilde, curator of the blog, is a WOLA Senior Fellow and the Charles A. and Leo M. Favrot Professor of Human Relations at Tulane University. He has lived in or worked on Venezuela since 1992. Professor Smilde has researched Venezuela for the past twenty years. He has taught at the Universidad Central de Venezuela and the Universidad Católica Ándres Bello. From 2010-2012 he was the Chair of the Venezuelan Studies Section of the Latin American Studies Association. He is currently working on a book manuscript called Venezuela’s Transition to Socialism: Politics and Human Rights under Chávez, 2008-2012. He is co-editor of Venezuela's Bolivarian Democracy: Participation, Politics and Culture under Chávez (Duke 2011).
Posts by David
David Smilde
Feb. 26
6 min read
Venezuela Weekly: Opposition Stalls as Push for Military Action Rebuffed
The Venezuelan opposition and its backers in the US government seem to have lost momentum in the past three days. On Monday the Lima Group of countries that since 2017 have worked together to try to pressure a return to …
David Smilde
Feb. 25
1 min read
WBEZ Worldview: Venezuela Clashes Amid Intensified Sanctions
I talked to Jerome McDonnell of WBEZ Worldview about the opposition’s failed effort to bring in humanitarian aid into Venezuela and where it leaves them. You can listen here.…
David Smilde
Feb. 19
6 min read
Venezuela Weekly: Battle of the Bands on the Border
The visual politics of Venezuela’s battle for power normally take place in the streets of Caracas, with opposition and government organizing dual concentrations and emitting aerial photos favorable to their side and disfavorable to the other. This week this battle …
David Smilde
Feb. 14
1 min read
LASA Dialogues: How did the opposition become energized again
Yesterday I participated in a Facebook Live discussion on the Venezuelan opposition with my colleagues and friends Javier Corrales and Margarita López Maya. Following LASA tradition, we freely switch back and forth between English and Spanish. It was sponsored …
5 min read
New York Times Español: International Contact Group Represents Best Opportunity for all Sides in the Venezuela Crisis
(We have an op-ed published in New York Times Español today, which you can read here. The English original is below.)
Last week the multilateral International Contact Group (ICG) held its first meeting to address the Venezuela crisis. …
5 min read
How the International Contact Group on Venezuela Can Advance a Path Out of Crisis
(Update: In a statement emerging from its inaugural meeting, the International Contact Group maintained its support for new elections in Venezuela, and continues its commitment to this goal rather than calls for dialogue with no preconditions. It vowed to …
David Smilde
Feb. 6
6 min read
Venezuela Weekly: European Union Proposes International Contact Group
On January 31st European Union High Representative Federica Mogherini announced that the EU had reached agreement on the conformation of an International Contact Group. The Terms of Reference describe a three phase plan: first, meetings among members of the …
David Smilde
Feb. 5
1 min read
Democracy Now! What’s Next for Venezuela
Today I participated in a discussion on Democracy Now! along with my colleague Miguel Tinker Salas, for a discussion of the latest on Venezuela and the US (the video file is too big to upload to the blog but you …
David Smilde
Feb. 3
1 min read
NPR: U.S. Confidently Backs Venezuela’s Opposition, Inviting Possible Risks
I was quoted in Michele Kelemn’s piece on Venezuela yesterday, along with my friend Cindy Arnson. You can listen below or see the transcript here.
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