... Nicolas Maduro. Back in December 2014, the Venezuela Defence of Human Rights and Civil Society Act (PL 113-278) passed through the US Congress and was signed by the president. The law required the president and his administration to use blocking and visa sanctions against Venezuelan individuals
linked to widespread human rights abuses
. Following this legislation, US President Barack Obama signed the Executive Order 13692 of March 8, 2015, which declared a state of emergency due to
human rights violations and corruption ...
... legal entities, of which 150 are related to Ukraine. Most of the blocked companies are from the defence or technology sectors and engage in manufacturing dual- use products. The SDN list includes a smaller number of companies blocked for violating US sanctions or interacting with Cuba, Syria, North Korea or Venezuela, including even subsidiaries of major Russian companies (for example, two Rosneft subsidiaries). But neither Rosneft, nor other Russian blue chips have been blocked yet.
The anti-Russia “sanctions from hell” have long been discussed by the ...
... been registered in Syria, a country that is in a state of war. The strict oil embargo has resulted in a shortage of petrol, which is needed by both the military and medics. Cuba has faced fuel shortages as a result of a U.S.-led embargo for years now. Venezuela and a number of other countries have yet to feel the full force of the COVID-19 pandemic, but doctors and the population will likewise be hit hard. The most stable situation right now is in Russia, where the safety margin is greater, and sanctions are not yet that extensive. The principal danger lies in the sanctions blockade of Crimea. However, Moscow has sufficient resources to offset the sanctions against the peninsula.
In the meantime, the United States and the European Union, the ...
... violations and corruption. As of today, the US Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions on 112 individuals, and the Department of State has revoked visas issued to hundreds of individuals. On January 28, 2019, the US Administration
announced
sanctions on Venezuela’s state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PDVSA).
As a result, all the assets and funds PDVSA owns in the US are frozen and US citizens are prohibited from dealing with the company. At the same time, the US government allowed ...
... programs, make personnel decisions and demonstrate their willingness to cooperate with the OFAC.
Ivan Timofeev:
Sanctions for the Violation of Sanctions: Businesses on US Treasury Radar
Gazprombank’s caution is consistent with global practices. Although sanctions were imposed on Venezuela in 2014, thus far there have been no cases of U.S. claims being settled under that package. On the other hand, sanctions on such a major player as PDVSA were imposed less than a month ago. And the previous history of fines for violating sanctions ...
... list any time it pleases, should U.S. officials spot something they do not like. But this is of little concern to foreign businesses. The companies are operating, supplying their products and remaining on the production chains.
Ivan Timofeev:
Are US Sanctions Against Venezuela a Regime C
Despite all this, it would be premature to consider this event a change in the sanctions policy against Russia.
The sanctions will grow in size and intensity. Moscow and Washington are a long way from resolving their key contradictions....
... be considered a spontaneous phenomenon. For Washington, Nicholas Maduro has been a hostile figure from the very beginning of his rule in 2013. Economic sanctions are a traditional instrument of pressure on such leaders. The dynamics of ramping up US sanctions against Venezuela is an informative indicator of the American policy. It is also interesting from the point of view of the practice of using sanctions to solve foreign policy tasks.
The restrictive measures against Caracas reflect patterns that are well described ...
... no use to beat on a dead horse, especially if it can be sacrificed, or downsized, in order to gain better advantages.
If there is a combined effort going on to weaken some countries, then the probable conclusion is that the other primary target is Venezuela, which has been another objective of U.S. sanctions, imposed for alleged human rights violations. Meanwhile two Saudi women have been arrested in their country for defying the ban on female drivers and may face trial on terrorism charges, but the United States have not revealed yet whether they ...
