Maduro's NYT Ad

I'm quoted in this Guardian article about the Venezuelan government's full page ad in the New York Times, which is a letter criticizing U.S. policy (here is the full text, though it is in Spanish). It's as overblown as you would expect, saying the sanctions mean the U.S. is trying to govern Venezuela by decree, whatever that means. Despite its venue, I see the message aimed more at Venezuelans (i.e. Maduro is speaking out on behalf of the nation) than at the U.S., though perhaps Nicolás Maduro thinks people in the U.S. will voice their concerns about the sanctions (as this professor did on a plane!).

Unfortunately, this adds up to a lot of pointless hot air on both sides. The U.S. keeps saying this is all about the Venezuelan elections later this year, I keep wondering how that connection works.