The Venezuela Dilemma: Why do Sanctions Continue to Fail to Dislodge the Venezuelan Regime?

This paper intends to analyse the reasons behind the continuity of the Venezuelan regimeunder Nicolas Maduro, despite the ongoing sanctions imposed by successive Washingtonadministrations. Sanctions are a staple of the modern diplomat’s toolbox, however if sanctions areunable to produce the desired results this study aims to identify the reasons for this failure. Through case studies of relevant and similar instances of sanctions; both their imposition and their results, the paper questions the established linkage vs. leverage model for understanding sanctions. I argue that while linkage vs. leverage is a useful theoretical framework, it must be built upon in a constructivist manner; taking into account the internal dynamics of the sanction receiver and sender alike in order to understand whether sanctions will achieve their goals.