Trump Turns Up the Pressure on Maduro

Here is today’s Foreign Policy brief: The United States increases pressure on Venezuela’s government, Turkey prepares for military action in Syria, and Indian-administered Kashmir is officially stripped of its special status.

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The United States is doubling down on its pressure campaign against the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro: Speaking in Peru on Tuesday, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton said that the United States was prepared to sanction companies doing business with Venezuela’s government. “We are sending a signal to third parties that want to do business with the Maduro regime: Proceed with extreme caution,” he said.

The speech followed U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze the Venezuelan government’s assets with an executive order. It also freezes the assets of those assisting the government, which could affect its relationship with Russia and China. Venezuela was quick to respond: “This is an act of war by the United States,” said Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza.

Why an asset freeze? The Trump administration has endorsed the opposition leader Juan Guaidó amid Venezuela’s ongoing political crisis, but previous U.S. sanctions haven’t managed to undercut the military’s support for Maduro. While the asset freeze falls short of a full trade embargo, the United States hopes it will keep Maduro’s foreign supporters at bay. Venezuela’s opposition has welcomed the new sanctions. Russia has condemned them as illegal.

Will it work? It’s not yet clear how hard the asset freeze will hit Venezuela, or if it will have the intended effects on Maduro’s government. Some experts have argued that it could make a bad humanitarian situation worse for Venezuelans, who are bracing for more economic adversity. It also distances the United States further from ongoing negotiations between Maduro’s allies and the opposition, where U.S. sanctions have been a chip at the bargaining table.

U.S.-Turkey talks on safe zone falter. Turkey and the United States remain deadlocked over the prospect of a “safe zone” in northern Syria. U.S. military officials are in Ankara, and this could be the last week for a breakthrough as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insists that a military incursion into Syria to root out the Kurdish YPG militia is imminent. (Turkey considers the YPG to be a terrorist group.) While U.S. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has tried to downplay the tensions, he said that any unilateral action by Turkey would be “unacceptable,” Lara Seligman reports.

India makes Kashmir status official. India’s parliament voted on Tuesday to officially strip the state of Jammu and Kashmir of its special status, following the government’s surprise Monday announcement on the disputed territory. The move has drawn ire in Pakistan and beyond: Pakistani President Imran Khan has put his military on alert and, China—an ally of Pakistan—has voiced its disapproval. Moreover, experts have said the move to ditch constitutional Article 370 could face legal opposition in India.

Did Russia have an election spy in the U.S.? A name published in the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee report on Russian election interference suggests that a defense attaché at the Russian Embassy could have played a role, Amy Mackinnon and Robbie Gramer report. If confirmed that he was working for the military intelligence agency, it would be the first public mention of a GRU officer researching U.S. voting systems from within the United States.

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Cameroon’s lobbyists in Washington. Cameroon’s government is hoping to improve its image in Washington amid a brutal crackdown on Anglophone separatists that has led to accusations of human rights abuses. The firm lobbying on its behalf, Clout Public Affairs, has just hired U.S. President Donald Trump’s former acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker. Cameroon is just the latest to join a list of African countries paying lobbying firms to increase their influence in Washington under Trump, Robbie Gramer and Jefcoate O’Donnell report.

Protests in Honduras. Thousands turned out in the streets of Tegucigalpa on Tuesday, calling on Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández to resign days after accusations that his 2013 campaign had been funded at least in part by drug money. It’s the latest in a series of protests against his government. Hernández’s brother was arrested last year for drug trafficking.

Turkey’s book burning. Since the 2016 coup attempt, Turkey has seized and destroyed more than 300,000 books related to the Gulen movement—alarming free speech advocates, the Guardian reports. The Turkish government has blamed the cleric Fethullah Gulen for organizing the coup. Gulen, who is based in the United States, has denied the allegation. 

Travel warnings for the United States. Both Uruguay and Venezuela have issued travel warnings for the United States linked to the mass shootings over the weekend, the Washington Post reports. (The alert from Venezuela came amid the U.S. asset freeze.) Germany, Ireland, Canada, and New Zealand have issued similar warnings about U.S. gun violence in recent years.

China’s paramilitary police. A Chinese government spokesperson warned on Tuesday that China could eventually punish Hong Kong’s protesters. If the government takes the unprecedented step of imposing martial law in the city, support may come from the People’s Armed Police (PAP). It’s been used to put down protests across China, Hilton Yip writes for FP.

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The team planning to build on a $1.4 billion telescope on Mauna Kea, Hawaii’s tallest mountain, has now applied for a permit in Spain as a backup as Native Hawaiians continue to protest against the project. As many as 2,000 people have blockaded the main road to Mauna Kea.

Young, wealthy Asian couples seeking the most Instagrammable location for their pre-wedding portraits are increasingly flying to the scenic Greek island of Santorini. In this New York Times dispatch, Jason Horowitz reports on how this niche industry is flooding the already crowded island with a new type of tourism—accompanied by by Laura Boushnak’s photos of the elaborate photo shoots. Maya Gandhi, editorial intern

That’s it for today. 

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