Today brings news that things have gotten worse in Venezuela. That may seem hard to believe, but it's true. During the night, there was a mutiny by National Guard troops outside of Caracas and also something of a rising in a very poor neighborhood near the presidential palace. Both were put down by police and other troops. Then this morning the Supreme Court (which is controlled by the socialist dictator Maduro) issued a ruling that overturned certain laws passed by the National Assembly. Those laws had moved towards invalidating Maduro's standing as president. The Court also referred the Assembly to the state prosecutor on the grounds that the members had violated the constitution of Venezuela by moving against Maduro. In response, the Assembly called for a strike across the nation on Wednesday.
Venezuela is one of the richest countries in the world. It has huge oil reserves which could fund development for many decades, if not centuries. Despite that, the socialist policies followed first by Chavez and now by Maduro have bankrupted both the country and all of its people. There are chronic shortages of all sorts across the country. Items as mundane as toilet paper are no longer for sale. Millions are starving. According to statistics, the average Venezuelan now weighs 32 pounds less than he or she did 12 years ago as a result of mass hunger. Even as the economy has collapsed, there has not been a major upsurge of violence until lately. It seems, however, that a tipping point may have been reached. We may soon see a civil war in Venezuela if the army stays loyal to Maduro. On the other hand, if the army support starts to melt away, Maduro will be history in the near future.
Venezuela is one of the richest countries in the world. It has huge oil reserves which could fund development for many decades, if not centuries. Despite that, the socialist policies followed first by Chavez and now by Maduro have bankrupted both the country and all of its people. There are chronic shortages of all sorts across the country. Items as mundane as toilet paper are no longer for sale. Millions are starving. According to statistics, the average Venezuelan now weighs 32 pounds less than he or she did 12 years ago as a result of mass hunger. Even as the economy has collapsed, there has not been a major upsurge of violence until lately. It seems, however, that a tipping point may have been reached. We may soon see a civil war in Venezuela if the army stays loyal to Maduro. On the other hand, if the army support starts to melt away, Maduro will be history in the near future.
No comments:
Post a Comment