By Lucy Santora, Fall 2020 Marcellus Policy Fellow

The United States must support its ally Colombia in aiding Venezuela to protect human life and bring stability to the region. The goal is to assist in the resurrection of the Venezuelan rule of law and civil society. The first steps will include reducing economic sanctions that strangle average citizens, supplying aid to refugees who have fled to Colombia, granting temporary protected status for Venezuelans seeking safety in the United States, and non-military assistance to opposition forces.

Suppose this fails, or the situation in Venezuela rapidly deteriorates. In that case, the United States will lobby the United Nations to enact Responsibility to Protect that includes a clear strategy for rebuilding the country after violence has ceased. This policy is an incremental process that will require tenacity and restraint.