Venezuela is a present day example
of a country on the road to economy change and at this point it seems to be
head toward the revolutionary version. A country divided, a government
combining a democratic mandate with thuggery, and an opposition that is
increasingly radicalized all support this line of thinking. Mr. Maduro, the
current leader, is facing an economy that has been damaged by years of
mismanagement of the oil market (much of the revenue from this market has been
sucked up by corruption or diverted to unsustainable social programs and
subsidies to allies) and a hostile private sector which is making basic goods,
like toilet paper and cooking oil, scarce. It is not a surprise that the Venezuelan
citizens have resorted to protest in the streets. And how does Maduro response?
By taking a page out of the totalitarian handbook: armed activists on the
streets, media blackouts and the arrest of opposition leader Leopoldo López on
trumped-up charges. This only provokes the
protestors, causing further violence, and continues to weaken the economy.
Is there anything that Maduro can
do to gain control? The article says that Maduro needs to realize that his
strategy of dividing Venezuela is only deepening its misery. To rectify this
situation he needs to unify his country. In addition, Maduro needs to get the
armed gangs off the streets, allow the media to report what is going on,
release Leopoldo López, and enter into proper dialogue with Henrique Capriles,
another leader of the opposition. Without this his regime forfeits its claim to
being democratic. Moreover, to calm the Venezuelan citizens he needs to come up
with a plan to reverse the economic direction of the country or else even the
poor will withdraw their support for Maduro. Is there still time left for
Maduro to fix things and remain in power or is Venezuela already past the point
of no return?
http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21597900-dialogue-not-repression-way-nicol-s-maduro-save-his-government-and-his
4 comments:
Even if there was time for Maduro to fix problems by drawing back some of his control, it doesn't appear that he is going to. I wonder if protestors followed the advice of Henrique Capriles and remained peaceful during protests, would the protesters be able to attract international support or sympathy?
I agree that Maduro will not do what he supposed to do. What he is doing is to protect his power and wealth and that's all. I don't think the protests will go peacefully because if they do, they will die, probably in vain (if the system doesn't change). Is it because the situation in Ukraine is worse or I haven't seen other countries pay much attention in supporting the Venezuelan ?
@Duong Lee
The situation in Ukraine is most certainly worse currently. Right now there are huge violations of international law going on in the Ukraine with the Russian intervention.
@Ryan
I doubt Capriles asking for peaceful protests will do much. All of the big protests last year (Brazil, Turkey, Bosnia, Egypt) were partially violent However, Capriless's plea might cause the violence made by the protesters to lessen.
Situation in Venezuela is very serious and it has been going on for a while. Maduro's goal is to continue the legacy of Chavez. Eventually the corruption and deception becomes apparent even to those who voted for Maduro. The standoff in Ukraine lasted for over three month and captured very little of American mass media. Once the people defeated corrupt government, Russia decided to get involved and that is why there's so much attention from American news media sources. Need media recognizes the standoff in Venezuela and the only reason it hasn't reached the US involvement is because it's an internal conflict.
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