Political Scientist at US Naval Academy, Latin America, long-suffering Minnesota sports fan \\ Usual disclaimers
Nov 3, 2020 • 15 tweets • 5 min read
An election day thought:
Sadly, I have never been so conscious of comparative political scientists so explicitly studying and worrying about the state of US democracy.
In 2014, @drsltaylor, @laderafrutal, and co-authors rightfully placed the US in comparative perspective and challenged readers to reconsider the institutional setup Americans take for granted. amazon.com/Different-Demo…
Sep 7, 2020 • 16 tweets • 8 min read
Please check out the new issue of Foro Cubano (programacuba.com/revista-de-div…), which I coordinated, in which a diverse group of scholars and practitioners evaluate issues surrounding foreign economic sanctions on #Cuba and #Venezuela.
A summary and link to each:
The first four articles focus on Cuba.
@ChrisSabatini examines why US sanctions against Cuba have failed to produce democratization, focusing on lack of 1) multilateralism, 2) narrow and clearly defined goals, and 3) flexibility and credibility.
The Trump administration's economic embargo against Venezuela seems like a policy aimed more at cultivating domestic electoral support than bringing about democratic change in Venezuela.
I could be wrong, of course, but a policy with such a poor track record augers poorly.
First, to summarize. Executive Order 13692: 1. Blocks all Venezuelan govt property and stipulates that such assets "may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in." (primary sanctions), and
May 12, 2019 • 20 tweets • 5 min read
It is tempting to believe that US military intervention would quickly and efficiently solve #Venezuela's woes, or at least preferable to the current status quo.
The US military, after all, is the most sophisticated and technologically advanced in the world, and the Venezuelan military is made up of hungry soldiers and a militia that trains like this:
Thread:
Declarations like this from @AmbJohnBolton might enthuse some--especially Venezuelans--who see US intervention as a good way to depose @NicolasMaduro.
Setting aside normative concerns about military intervention and state sovereignty, political science and history suggest that this action would end badly.
