[20191211]IN11116_美洲互助条约与委内瑞拉危机.pdf

CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i The Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance and the Crisis in Venezuela Peter J. Meyer Specialist in Latin American Affairs Updated December 11, 2019 On September 11, 2019, the United States and 11 other Western Hemisphere countries invoked the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty) to facilitate a regional response to the crisis in Venezuela. As a first step, on September 23, 2019, the countries that have ratified the treaty (states parties) agreed to identify, prosecute, and freeze the assets of certain individuals and entities associated with the government of Nicols Maduro. On December 3, 2019, the states parties approved an initial list of 29 individuals alleged to have engaged in corruption and/or human rights abuses, who are subject to the September 23 sanctions and to entry and transit restrictions. The states parties agreed to meet again in the first quarter of 2020. Congress may track the ongoing deliberations, given their potential implications for U.S. policy. Background The Rio Treaty, which was signed in 1947 and entered into force in 1948, is a collective securit