Venezuela is ‘a target-rich environment’ for more US sanctions — but it could backfire

• President Donald Trump has struck a more aggressive stance on Venezuela during his first year in office.
• There are signs his economic sanctions are having some effect, but sanctions leveled against individual officials don’t appear to have cut into the Venezuelan president’s backing.
• Venezuela’s economy is set to continue deteriorating, but what effect that will have on its political scene is not yet clear.

President Donald Trump has reportedly deemed Venezuela one of his top three national-security priorities, alongside North Korea and Iran. And throughout his first year in office, Trump has taken an aggressive stance toward the fraying South American country’s government.

Trump has sanctioned dozens of Venezuelan officials, including government ministers and military officers, since he took office — including the vice president, who was accused of involvement in international drug trafficking, and President Nicolas Maduro himself, whom the Trump administration has labeled a “dictator.”

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Featured image courtesy of AP