“I hereby designate Bolivia and Venezuela as having failed demonstrably to make substantial efforts during the previous 12 months to … adhere to their obligations under international counternarcotics agreements,” Biden said in a memo to Secretary of State Antony Blinken released by the White House. By Mohammad Zargham. Full Text-> Reuters

Traducción de cortesía -> “Por la presente designo a Bolivia y Venezuela por no haber realizado esfuerzos sustanciales durante los 12 meses anteriores para … cumplir con sus obligaciones en virtud de los acuerdos internacionales antinarcóticos”, dijo Biden en un memorando al secretario de Estado Antony Blinken publicado por la Casa Blanca. .

The challenge, however, for the Biden – Harris ticket during Duque’s remaining years will be to maintain military and counter-narcotics cooperation while the U.S attempts to appease Nicolás Maduro and force a peaceful transition of power in  Venezuela. And should Duque’s successor in 2022 be sympathetic to the Sao Paulo Forum, Colombia’s historic standing as a cornerstone of the U.S and most “trusted friend,” could be under threat at the expense of populism and increasingly obsolete anti-imperialism narrative. By Richard Emblin. Full Text -> TheCityPaperBogota

By the end of 2020, Venezuela’s per capita income will have shrunk to less than one-third of what it was when President Hugo Chávez died in office in 2013. This contraction—equivalent to three Great Depressions—is the largest documented in Latin American economic history and one of the ten largest in world history. More than five million people—or around one-sixth of the population—have left the country, and poverty rates have tripled. A country rarely suffers such a precipitous deterioration of living standards outside of wartime. Yet Venezuela’s autocrat, Nicolás Maduro, remains firmly ensconced in the Miraflores Presidential Palace. By Francisco Rodríguez. Full Text-> ForeignAffairs

The State Department’s top official on Venezuela said Tuesday that the Trump administration will continue recognizing lawmaker Juan Guaidó as the South American nation’s interim president even if President Nicolás Maduro’s government ousts the opposition from control of congress — its last major stronghold. Full Text-> PBS

Ten days ago, Colombian businessman Alex Saab was arrested in Cape Verde, an island republic off Africa’s west coast, as he was refueling his private jet. Saab is wanted in the U.S. on money-laundering charges involving hundreds of millions of dollars – but his detention in Cape Verde and his possible extradition to Miami carry big political stakes in Venezuela. By Tim Padgett. Full Text -> WLRN

The Trump administration is talking about freezing immigration for 60 days, at a time when it’s urgent to address the vulnerability of thousands of Venezuelans in the United States. By Tamara Taraciuk Broner. Full Text-> HRW

Venezuela will file an international lawsuit against the US government due to damage to Venezuelan companies inflicted by US sanctions, said President Nicolas Maduro, Press TV reported. Full text-> Armenian News