The Venezuela Briefing

The Venezuela Briefing podcast, hosted by the Venezuela program at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA), is a regular source of analysis on Venezuela's crisis. WOLA’s experts will guide listeners through engaging discussions about the crisis, highlighting the efforts of civil society actors and policymakers on the ground working to chart a new path forward. Hosted by Geoff Ramsey. For more information on WOLA’s work on Venezuela, visit WOLA’s Venezuelan Politics and Human Rights Blog at www.venezuelablog.org

16. Notes from the Colombia-Venezuela Border 12/18/2022

16. Notes from the Colombia-Venezuela Border What will the normalization of Colombia-Venezuela diplomatic relations mean for Venezuelans along the border? This episode features interviews with human rights defenders, humanitarian workers and journalists in the Venezuelan western border states of Tachira and Zulia, recording during an August visit by WOLA's Geoff Ramsey. They paint a complicated picture of life along the border, and share how conditions in the interior of the country differ from the capital city in Caracas. /episode/index/show/venezuela-briefing/id/25362279

15. LGBTI Rights in Venezuela 07/08/2022

15. LGBTI Rights in Venezuela In this episode Geoff Ramsey interviews Venezuelan LGBTI activist and researcher Quiteria Franco, General Coordinator of Unión Afirmativa. They discuss the status of LGBTI rights in Venezuela, which is far behind much of the rest the Americas on issues like marriage equality, adoption rights for same-sex couples, and protections for transgender people. Despite these obstacles, Franco explains how committed activists in the LGBTI community are working for change. Follow Quiteria Franco on Twitter at and see the latest from Unión Afirmativa at . /episode/index/show/venezuela-briefing/id/23685644

14. The Impact of Venezuela’s Crisis on Women and Girls 06/03/2022

14. The Impact of Venezuela’s Crisis on Women and Girls In this episode of The Venezuela Briefing, Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Cristina Ciordia of the Center for Justice and Peace (CEPAZ) about the differentiated impact of Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis on women and girls. Ramsey, Martinez-Gugerli and Ciordia discuss the findings of a recent study by Con Ellas on the situation for these groups, and Con Ellas’s recommendations for how to incorporate a gender and diversity lens into the humanitarian response in Venezuela. Follow the work of CEPAZ on Twitter at @_cepaz, and look out on for an upcoming report by Con Ellas. /episode/index/show/venezuela-briefing/id/23312837

13. Venezuela’s Oil Sector and a Potential Shift in U.S. Policy 03/22/2022

13. Venezuela’s Oil Sector and a Potential Shift in U.S. Policy In this latest episode of The Venezuela Briefing, Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli had the opportunity to interview Francisco Monaldi, a leading scholar on the politics and economics of energy policy in Venezuela. Ramsey, Martinez-Gugerli and Monaldi discuss the state of Venezuela’s oil sector, the recent visit of U.S. officials to Caracas, and the potential return to negotiations in Venezuela. Follow Francisco Monaldi on Twitter: @fmonaldi Read the latest report by the Atlantic Council’s Venezuela Working Group, which Monaldi contributed to: /episode/index/show/venezuela-briefing/id/22524128

12. Evaluating the Barinas Election 01/11/2022

12. Evaluating the Barinas Election In this latest, Spanish language* episode of The Venezuela Briefing, Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martínez-Gugerli interview Eugenio Martínez, expert in Venezuelan politics and electoral matters. Martínez discusses the implications of the regional elections on November 21, and the opposition’s historic victory in Barinas on January 9, for the political situation in Venezuela. /episode/index/show/venezuela-briefing/id/21744044

11. A New Effort to Mobilize Venezuelans in the United States 12/14/2021

11. A New Effort to Mobilize Venezuelans in the United States In this episode, Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Adelys Ferro, Venezuelan-American community leader and director of the Venezuelan American Caucus, a new initiative to mobilize the Venezuelan diaspora in the U.S. around humanitarian needs and democratic efforts in Venezuela. Ramsey, Martinez-Gugerli, and Ferro discuss the goals of the Caucus and the Biden administration’s policy towards Venezuela so far. /episode/index/show/venezuela-briefing/id/21481592

10. The Response to Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees in Colombia and Brazil 10/27/2021

10. The Response to Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees in Colombia and Brazil In this episode, WOLA’s Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interviews Lucía Ramírez of Dejusticia and Livia Lenci of Missão Paz. As a follow-up to WOLA’s #StandFor6Million campaign, Kristen, Lucia, and Livia discuss the challenges facing Venezuelan migrants and refugees across the region, and civil society efforts to support fleeing Venezuelans in Colombia and Brazil. /episode/index/show/venezuela-briefing/id/20962397

9. Humanitarian update and the U.S. role in Venezuela 09/20/2021

9. Humanitarian update and the U.S. role in Venezuela In the latest episode of The Venezuela Briefing, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Daniel Cooper Bermúdez, founder of Hearts on Venezuela. Kristen, Geoff, and Daniel discuss the latest in Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis, what’s on the table in political negotiations taking place in Mexico, and recent efforts to repress the work of NGOs in the country. /episode/index/show/venezuela-briefing/id/20535614

8. COVID-19 vaccination and electoral conditions in Venezuela 06/28/2021

8. COVID-19 vaccination and electoral conditions in Venezuela In the 8th episode of The Venezuela Briefing, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Venezuelan attorney and human rights defender Beatriz Borges about the latest in Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis and civil society efforts around upcoming regional elections. Beatriz Borges, Director of CEPAZ, provides details on Venezuela’s COVID-19 vaccination plan, as well as recent efforts by Foro Civico to demand minimum electoral conditions for upcoming regional elections in Venezuela. /episode/index/show/venezuela-briefing/id/19633508

7. Venezuela’s Changing Political Landscape 05/25/2021

7. Venezuela’s Changing Political Landscape In the latest episode of The Venezuela Briefing podcast, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Venezuelan academic and analyst Michael Penfold about changing dynamics in Venezuela’s political crisis. This episode explores recent concessions by the Maduro government, opposition dynamics, the Biden administration’s policy towards Venezuela, and prospects for a negotiated solution in the short and long term. /episode/index/show/venezuela-briefing/id/19233659

6. Armed Conflict in Apure 04/12/2021

6. Armed Conflict in Apure In the sixth episode of The Venezuela Briefing, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview military intelligence analyst Andrei Serbin Pont about the ongoing armed conflict between Venezuelan security forces and Colombian rebel groups in the border state of Apure. Andrei, who is the Director of regional think tank CRIES, provides insider knowledge on human rights violations being committed on the border, and the implications of the conflict for a future democratic transition in Venezuela. /episode/index/show/venezuela-briefing/id/18698435

5. Civil Society and a Democratic Transition in Venezuela 03/17/2021

5. Civil Society and a Democratic Transition in Venezuela In the fifth episode, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Venezuelan academic Maryhen Jiménez about recent civil society efforts to push for a democratic transition in Venezuela. Following the emergence of the 'Foro Cívico’ coalition in February, civil society voices are growing louder and louder in the country. The hosts and Jiménez engage in a thoughtful discussion about what ‘civil society’ means, and how to best understand these efforts in the historical and comparative co /episode/index/show/venezuela-briefing/id/18369410

4. The Regularization of Venezuelan Migrants in Colombia 02/16/2021

4. The Regularization of Venezuelan Migrants in Colombia In the fourth episode of The Venezuela Briefing, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview WOLA colleague Gimena Sanchez and Dejusticia’s Lucia Ramirez to learn more about a recent measure by the Colombian government to provide formal status to Venezuelan migrants living in the country. This permit would offer access to work authorization, formal employment, and health care services for as many as 1.7 million Venezuelan migrants for a period of 10 years. /episode/index/show/venezuela-briefing/id/17975693

3. Debrief on Venezuela's Legislative Elections 01/14/2021

3. Debrief on Venezuela's Legislative Elections In the third episode of The Venezuela Briefing podcast, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli had the pleasure of interviewing journalist and political analyst Jose de Bastos and international relations and legal expert Mariano de Alba. Jose de Bastos and Mariano de Alba co-host La Venezuela Global podcast, an excellent resource for those following the crisis in Venezuela. /episode/index/show/venezuela-briefing/id/17540768

2. The Regional Response to Venezuelan Migrants 12/16/2020

2. The Regional Response to Venezuelan Migrants In the second episode of The Venezuela Briefing, hosts Kristen Martinez-Gugerli and Geoff Ramsey interview María Inés Pacceca, who leads the research team at la Comisión Argentina para los Refugiados y Migrantes (CAREF) and Rachel Schmidtke, Advocate for Latin America at Refugees International, to discuss the Venezuelan displacement crisis and the regional response to date. /episode/index/show/venezuela-briefing/id/17219654

1. Feliciano Reyna and Venezuela's Humanitarian Crisis 11/23/2020

1. Feliciano Reyna and Venezuela's Humanitarian Crisis In the first episode of The Venezuela Briefing, Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Feliciano Reyna, founder and executive president of Acción Solidaria, a Venezuelan humanitarian organization founded in 1995 to address the needs of those with HIV/AIDS. Today, Acción Solidaria continues to provide these services, while working with actors in Venezuela to address Venezuela's complex humanitarian crisis and advocate for a peaceful and negotiated political solution. /episode/index/show/venezuela-briefing/id/16894178

Introducing The Venezuela Briefing 11/23/2020

Introducing The Venezuela Briefing In this teaser episode, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli introduce The Venezuela Briefing, a new WOLA podcast. Episodes will alternate between the themes of Venezuela's political crisis, the humanitarian emergency, and Venezuelan migrant and refugee rights. Subscribe and leave comments with topics you're most interested in hearing about in future episodes.

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The Venezuela Briefing

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