Leiden University Student Repository

Wijts, Cheyenne (2023)

Democratic Transition in Venezuela: The Lessons Learned from Negotiations and Sanctions

Bachelor thesis | International Studies (BA)

Using political science literature focused on democratic transitions and peace-making this paper explores the possibilities of a negotiated democratic transition in Venezuela. Often is the pacted transitions considered to be the most lucrative path to a democracy due to its peaceful nature. However, domestic challenges in Venezuela make a sustainable transition to democracy challenging. Venezuela has seen massive levels of democratic backsliding under the presidency of both Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. Particularly, Maduro’s presidency has been riddled with severe economic crisis and human rights abuses. While the international community has been involved for several years, their use of negotiations and sanctions have not been successful in causing a regime change. By analyzing the literature on Venezuela and policy papers I identify the obstacles to a democratic transition. As the COVID-19 pandemic made a deep impact on the world, I will also analyze whether the pandemic has...Show moreUsing political science literature focused on democratic transitions and peace-making this paper explores the possibilities of a negotiated democratic transition in Venezuela. Often is the pacted transitions considered to be the most lucrative path to a democracy due to its peaceful nature. However, domestic challenges in Venezuela make a sustainable transition to democracy challenging. Venezuela has seen massive levels of democratic backsliding under the presidency of both Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro. Particularly, Maduro’s presidency has been riddled with severe economic crisis and human rights abuses. While the international community has been involved for several years, their use of negotiations and sanctions have not been successful in causing a regime change. By analyzing the literature on Venezuela and policy papers I identify the obstacles to a democratic transition. As the COVID-19 pandemic made a deep impact on the world, I will also analyze whether the pandemic has created incentives for the regime to democratize or if it has made the regime’s hold on power stronger.Show less

Venezuela

Foreign Policy

Democratic Transition

European Strategic Autonomy

Author

Wijts, Cheyenne

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Latin America

Supervisors

Fernández Rodríguez, R.

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en