Ostrich Diplomacy

Henrique Capriles came close to winning Venezuela’s special presidential election in April, held after the death of Hugo Chavez. Capriles is challenging the results and seeking support in neighboring countries. Yet they are discovering that they incur wrath in Venezuela by putting out the welcome mat out for him. A one-hour meeting between Colombia’s President and Capriles led to an uproar. Nicolas Maduro, now leading Venezuela, was Chavez’s choice. In Peru, President Ollanta Humala postponed a meeting with Capriles. Peru currently chairs the South American Union, or Unasur, a regional organization that began an audit but has not followed through. The Economist describes Brazil as the only country with enough muscle to resolve the election dispute, but suggests that the country instead focuses on maintaining economic ties. Venezuela’s economy is in a shambles, even though the United States ranks Venezuela second in the world for proven oil reserves. A policy of crisis-avoidance could add to crisis in Venezuela and the larger region. – YaleGlobal