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Despite increasing domestic turmoil accelerated by the coronavirus pandemic and continued international pressure, the Nicolás Maduro regime remains entrenched. A top priority should be disrupting and deterring the illicit funding sources and the nefarious external and non-state partners that help sustain Maduro and his backers. This is especially important as the country heads into sham parliamentary elections later this year amid further restrictions on political liberties and political dissent. 

How does the Maduro regime leverage political and economic ties with malign regional and global actors to advance its illicit activities – including narcotrafficking, illegal gold mining, and money-laundering? How are the Maduro regime’s illicit mining partnerships with FARC dissidents and ELN criminal groups helping to sustain the regime? What new policies should the United States and the international community develop to combat the criminal activities that continue to impede a recovery of democratic institutions in Venezuela?

Join the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, on Thursday, August 13, 2020, from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. EDT, for a conversation on Maduro’s expansive global illegal network and potential strategies to combat these activities and secure democratic restoration in Venezuela. This public conversation will also launch an Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center policy brief by contributing author Douglas Farah that investigates the origins of the Maduro regime’s criminal activities and its connections to regional and international players. 

Speakers

Admiral Craig Faller
Commander, US Southern Command
United States of America

Carrie Filipetti
Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs
US Department of State

Denise Natali
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations
US Department of State

Douglas Farah
President
IBI Consultants;
Author
Atlantic Council;
Senior Visiting Fellow, Center for Complex Operations
National Defense University

In conversation with

Jason Marczak
Director, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center
Atlantic Council

Diego Area
Associate Director, Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center
Atlantic Council