ThinkTankWeekly

Can negotiations between Venezuela’s government and opposition succeed?

Chatham House | 2026-09-02 | americas

Topics: Middle East, Trade, United States

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English Summary

The Chatham House analysis finds that recent negotiations between Venezuela's government and opposition are highly unlikely to succeed, citing a pattern of vague discussions and lack of concrete commitments. Key evidence includes the failure of multiple meetings to establish timelines or progress on critical issues like the release of political prisoners. The report suggests that external actors, particularly the US, may be prioritizing maintaining an illusion of stability (the 'Venezuela model') over forcing genuine democratic change. Consequently, policy efforts must recognize that success hinges entirely on Washington's willingness to apply strong, enforced leverage and detailed commitments, rather than merely facilitating another round of ill-defined dialogue.

中文摘要

查塔姆學會(Chatham House)的分析指出,委內瑞拉政府與反對派之間近期的談判極難成功,其證據來自於一貫性的模糊討論和缺乏具體承諾。關鍵證據包括多次會議未能就釋放政治犯等核心議題確立時間表或進展。該報告建議,外部行為者,特別是美國,可能將維護一種穩定假象(即「委內瑞拉模式」)置於優先地位,而非推動真正的民主轉型。因此,政策努力必須認識到,成功完全取決於華盛頓是否願意施加強大且具強制力的槓桿和詳細承諾,而不僅僅是促成又一輪定義不清的對話。

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