Weekly Report - 23 April 2026 (WR-26-16)

Venezuela took another step out of its former isolation on 16 April when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank ended a seven-year suspension of dealings with the country. This will improve Venezuela’s access to international finance and, coming alongside a glut of other economic reforms, could put the country firmly in phase two of Washington’s three-phase plan – stabilisation, recovery, and democratic transition. Exiled opposition leader María Corina Machado is doing her best to build momentum towards the final phase.