SANCTIONS/SUMMIT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VENEZUELA: “An international summit meeting on Tuesday [8-6-19] that was meant to break the political stalemate in Venezuela became a one-sided showcase for the United States’ toughest sanctions yet on President Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian regime. During the conference of more than 50 countries in Lima, Peru, the Trump administration rejected compromises proposed by international mediators and some Latin American nations as it doubled down on its so-called maximum pressure policy to oust Mr. Maduro. Mr. Maduro’s government wasn’t invited, prompting his allies — Cuba, China, Russia and Turkey — to decline the invitation to the meeting…The escalating American sanctions come amid a stalemate between Mr. Maduro and the head of Venezuela’s opposition movement, Juan Guaidó. Both men claim to lead the troubled country. Mr. Trump’s support was essential to Mr. Guaidó’s international acceptance this year as Venezuela’s rightful leader.”
–Anatoly Kurmanaev and Lara Jakes, “With Tougher U.S. Sanctions on Venezuela, Bolton Says ‘Now is the Time for Action’,” The New York Times online, August 6, 2019