Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Role of the EU in the Venezuelan Conflict: Why Did Democracy Promotion Fail?

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Venezuela – Dimensions of the Crisis

Part of the book series: Contributions to Political Science ((CPS))

  • 311 Accesses

Abstract

Besides the United States, China and Russia, the EU has been an important external actor in the Venezuelan conflict. Brussels’ clear political position against the Maduro regime and the imposition of smart sanctions against government officials follows, with nuances, the path of US policy toward Venezuela. This chapter explores the reasons behind this decision, the evolution of EU-Venezuelan relations in the last two decades, and explains, through a qualitative analysis of primary and secondary sources, why the EU’s policy of democracy promotion by coercion has not been successful, but contributed to a stronger role and influence of China and Russia in the Andean country. It concludes with the recommendation to reinforce instruments such as development cooperation or political dialogue as positive incentives for a democratic transition as a formula to increase Brussels’ leverage and linkage in Venezuela.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    https://www.sanctionsmap.eu/#/main.

  2. 2.

    See, for example, the Declaration of the High Representative of the EU on January 6, 2021: “Venezuela urgently needs a political solution to end the current impasse through an inclusive process of dialogue and negotiation leading to credible, inclusive and democratic processes”; and EP Resolution on 18 July 2019, when the EP “Reaffirms that a peaceful, democratic and inclusive solution is the only sustainable way out of the current political impasse and the severe social and humanitarian crisis (…)”.

  3. 3.

    see https://www.sanctionsmap.eu/#/main.

  4. 4.

    See https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/04/03/declaration-by-the-high-representative-on-behalf-of-the-european-union-on-venezuela/ (24.03.22).

  5. 5.

    Venezuela: Statement by the International Contact Group on the political negotiations in Mexico, 2 September 2021 (https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/103686/venezuela-statement-international-contact-group-political-negotiations-mexico_en) (24.03.22).

  6. 6.

    See https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/108099/venezuela-municipal-and-regional-elections-and-eu-electoral-observation-mission_en (24.03.22).

  7. 7.

    See https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/108099/venezuela-municipal-and-regional-elections-and-eu-electoral-observation-mission_en (24.03.22).

  8. 8.

    The UN Development Report 2020 classified Venezuela as “high developed country” ranked 113rd among 189 evaluated countries (PNUD, Informe sobre Desarrollo Humano 2020. La próxima frontera: desarrollo humano y el Antropoceno. Nota informativa para los países acerca del Informe sobre Desarrollo Humano 2020. República Bolivariana de Venezuela).

  9. 9.

    See https://ec.europa.eu/trade/policy/countries-andregions/countries/venezuela/ (24.3.22).

References

  • Ayuso, A., & Gratius, S. (2020). Sanciones como instrumento de coerción: ¿cuán similares son las políticas de Estados Unidos y de la UE hacia Venezuela? América Latina Hoy, 85(agosto), 31–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biersteker, T., Eckert, S. E., & Tourinho, M. (Eds.). (2016). Targeted sanctions: The impacts and effectiveness of United Nations action. Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cardwell, P. J. (2017). Explaining the EU’s legal obligations for democracy promotion: The case of the EU-Turkey relationship. European Papers, 2(3), 863–886. www.europeanpapers.

  • Carothers, T. (2020). Rejuvenating democracy promotion. Journal of Democracy, 31(1), 114–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Council of the European Union. (2019, October 14). Council conclusions on democracy. Brussels.

    Google Scholar 

  • Downes, A. B., & Monten, J. (2013). Forced to be free? Why foreign-imposed regime change rarely leads to democratization. International Security, 37(4), 90–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drezner, D. W. (2011). Sanctions sometimes smart: Targeted sanctions in theory and practice. International Studies Review, 13, 96–108.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Everett, J. (2021). Poland and Hungary: Democratic backsliding and the shifting European political landscape. RUDN Journal of Political Science, 23(3), 394–406.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Godfrey, K., & Youngs, R. (2019). Towards a new EU democracy strategy. Working Paper. Washington DC: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gratius, S. (2022). The West against the rest: Democracy versus autocracy promotion in Venezuela. Bulletin of Latin American Research (first view online: 26 May 2021).

    Google Scholar 

  • Gratius, S. (2021). Bolivia y Venezuela: Políticas exteriores populistas de dos ‘Estados Rebeldes.’ In S. Gratius & R. Ángel (Eds.), Política Exterior y Populismo en Europa y América (pp. 204–231). Tecnos.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gratius, S., & Puente, J. M. (2019). Las Claves de la Crisis Venezolana, Foreign Affairs Latinoamérica, 19(2)(abril), 5–15. México D.F.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grimm, S. (2019). Democracy promotion in EU enlargement negotiation: more interaction, less hierarchy. Democratization, 26(5).

    Google Scholar 

  • Giumelli, F., Hoffmann, F., & Ksiazczakova, A. (2020). The when, where and why of European Union sanctions. European Security, 30(1), 1–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, C. (2016). Foreign policy in the twenty-first century. Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Letkzian, D., & Souva, A. (2007). An institutional theory of sanctions onset and success. Journal of Conflict Resolution, 51(6), 848–878.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levitsky, S., & Way, L. A. (2006). Linkage versus leverage rethinking the international dimension of regime change. Comparative Politics, 38(4), 379–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martínez Meucci, M. Á. & Alfaro, F. (2020). Asimetría del conflicto y mecanismos de diálogo y negociación en Venezuela, América Latina Hoy, 85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Manners, I. (2002). Normative power Europe: A contradiction in terms. Journal of Common Market Studies, 20(2), 235–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Puente, J. M., & Rodriguez, J. A. (2020). Venezuela en etapa de colapso macroeconómico: Un análisis histórico y comparative. América Latina Hoy, 85, 55–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smilde, D., & Ramsey, G. (2019). El difícil camino hacia adelante: Venezuela y el Grupo de Contacto Internacional. Análisis Carolina, 1. Madrid: Fundación Carolina.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tovar, J. (2014). El idealismo wilsoniano en la política exterior estadounidense, ¿una doctrina recurrente? Revista Española De Ciencia Política, 35, 137–160.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weisbrot, M., & Sachs, J. (2019). Economic Sanctions as Collective Punishment: The Case of Venezuela. Center for Economic and Policy Research: Washington.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolff, J., & Wurm, I. (2011). Towards a theory of external democracy promotion: A proposal for theoretical classification. Security Dialogue, 42(1), 77–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Woo, B., & Verdier, D. (2020). A unifying theory of positive and negative incentives in international relations: Sanctions, rewards, regime types, and compliance. Economics of Governance, 21, 215–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department at the Faculty of Law, Autonomous University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Susanne Gratius

Authors
  1. Susanne Gratius
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Susanne Gratius .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Political and Administrative Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

    Miguel Angel Latouche

  2. Political and Administrative Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

    Wolfgang Muno

  3. Political and Administrative Sciences, University of Rostock, Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany

    Alexandra Gericke

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Gratius, S. (2023). The Role of the EU in the Venezuelan Conflict: Why Did Democracy Promotion Fail?. In: Latouche, M.A., Muno, W., Gericke, A. (eds) Venezuela – Dimensions of the Crisis. Contributions to Political Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-21889-7_8

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation