Nicolás Maduro and Joe Biden: An Alliance that Favors One and Could Harm the Other

The recent report of the United Nations Fact-Finding Mission has not gone down well with the government of Nicolás Maduro. The work carried out by independent members belonging to the UN, where the Venezuelan Executive is accused of systematic violations of Human Rights, political persecution, assassinations of opponents of the government (on public roads), inadequate handling of the humanitarian crisis, poor state of prisons, among others, has received a forceful response from Maduro's entourage.

The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, in a statement that came out days later, stated: “Venezuela expresses its most categorical rejection of the false and baseless accusations made by the alleged International Mission to Determine the Facts, in a new pamphlet presented on September 26 of 2022 before the Human Rights Council of the United Nations Organization''.

For his part, the Venezuelan ambassador in Geneva called the report presented by the UN, which was disclosed in a plenary session of the Human Rights Council, a "pseudo-report" and "hidden interests." Also, from inside Caracas there has been a general silence, in addition to warning about retaliation against countries that approve and are in favor of what is said in the report.

Reputation vs. Commercial Interest

Despite the report presented by the UN mission, the US government, which has consistently criticized the Venezuelan humanitarian crisis, would not have found it relevant because the small alliances and dialogues between Caracas and Washington have not had any setbacks.

The exchange of prisoners between the governments of Maduro and Biden; the economic opening, above all of an oil nature; and the humanitarian and political agreements between the two nations have raised alarms among the Venezuelan and US opposition.

María Corina Machado and Henrique Capriles Radonski, to name a few, state that the United States has acted in bad faith by only making moves for private interests, but not for a true liberation of Venezuela. Also, from El Salvador, the president, Nayib Bukele, has said that this act reflects that "we are pawns for the elites," directly affirming that the United States continues to manage the Latin American region at its convenience.

From Across the Rio Grande

Despite the fact that mechanisms have not yet been established to lift the sanctions that the United States imposed on Venezuela, little by little the rapprochement of an energy nature between the two nations has created an avalanche of theories to discredit Biden and the Democratic Party. All this, on the verge of the elections for the Senate and the House that will take place on November 8.

José de Bastos, an expert journalist and political scientist, commented for The Voice of America that the gestures that the United States has had with Venezuela, and emphatically with the government, can make room for the continuation of the peace talks between the Venezuelan government and opposition in Mexico, suspended in October 2021. If the results are positive, the Anglo-Saxon nation would be seen as a guarantor of peace, a process that would positively affect Biden's image.

Consequently, by establishing a guarantee that the opposition is heard in Venezuela and an adequate management of power is achieved, Venezuelan migration, specifically that which goes to the United States, could decrease. This is an issue that concerns both Democrats and Republicans.

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Republicans and the Electoral Race

For the two relevant sectors of US politics (Democrats and Republicans) it is of the utmost importance to control the arrival of Venezuelans to their nation. However, from the Republican side, the interaction between Biden and Maduro is not viewed favorably.

Marco Rubio, senator from the state of Florida, former presidential candidate and strong man of conservatism, has made known his refusal of rapprochement between the White House and the Miraflores Palace, expressing that "it is embarrassing, but not really a surprise". Rubio, who is greatly admired in the Sunshine State, is running again to remain senator of that territory. A good part of the Latino electorate is on their side, as Miami is one of the most desired settlements by Spanish-speakers. A fort of Latino migrants fleeing the regimes in Cuba and Venezuela, precisely.

In the most recent survey of voting intentions by the Pew Center, the Latino community gives 54% support to the Democratic Party and directly to the management of Joe Biden. This data suggests that this wing of US politics is the one that most cares for the needs of Latinos, despite the international interactions that the Biden government carries out. However, this position can read the will of Latinos on the West Coast or on the southern border, but the voters in Florida have shown great support for the red party.

While the Republicans continue with the motto "commitment to the United States" ranting against the Biden government, the Democrats are more concerned about the alleged interference that Russia and China would have in the elections. However, it is true that the actions and communications launched by the government regarding its agreements with Venezuela will have consequences for the electorate.

For now, both the Caracas and Washington governments have been subtle in providing more information than what is stated in the communications. However, the leaking of content that encourages or disapproves of Biden's management will be handled by the campaign agencies in such a way that in just four weeks they manage to secure their voters or trap individuals from the opposing electorate.