CRS Assesses the Application of the Rio Treaty to the Venezuela Crisis

The Congressional Research Service ("CRS") published a brief on the potential application of the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (Rio Treaty) to the crisis in Venezuela. The CRS cautioned that while parties to the treaty have supported sanctions and other multilateral efforts against the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro, "many parties to the treaty have urged restraint." CRS stated that "attitudes could shift, however, if the situation in Venezuela deteriorates further and continued migration flows begin to destabilize neighboring countries."