When Venezuelans elected Hugo Chavez president in 1998 they wanted a revolution. Instead, what they got was the 1970s and all its social, economic and political ills all over again, but this time on steroids.
When measuring corruption, the differences between two studies highlight that international perceptions of corruption do not always line up with on-the-ground experiences. While many may focus on the scandal-making headlines and business climate, surveys reveal the petty corruption afflicting the daily lives of citizens. They’re not the same.
Did I miss something? No collective call for dialogue, not even a meeting wrap up by the Ambassador from Argentina. Just a call for lunch. Does that make the whole endeavor of convening the Permanent Council to discuss Venezuela a bust? Hardly.
Este jueves, a pedido de Almagro, se considerará en la OEA la activación de la Carta Democrática Interamericana contra Venezuela. Si bien es probable que la region no apruebe que hubo una alteración del orden constitucional en este país, el mero acto de debatir la situación aumentará la presión para que Maduro acepte el referéndum revocatorio.
One thing in Venezuela is definitely not in short supply: presidential rhetoric. In fact, while the economy veers toward 700 percent currency inflation, Maduro’s never-ending daily national television speeches, if anything, have created hyperinflation of presidential verbiage.
Venezuela’s descent into chaos is making headlines, not least because no one knows what will come next. The only other country to go through such an economic meltdown in recent history is Zimbabwe.
When it comes to gun ownership and homicide by guns, the patterns in the Americas are not what you’d expect.
The international community is trying to encourage the Venezuelan government and the opposition to sit down to a dialogue. But democratic dialogue requires commitment to principles, and the government has never shown—nor is showing now—any willingness to commit to those values.
With massive food shortages and many citizens not finding enough to eat, more and more Venezuelans are surviving on the country’s bounty of tropical fruit. But what happens when the season ends?
Using the World Justice Project’s annual Rule of Law Index, this stats shot examines how countries in the Americas score when it comes to the efficiency of the criminal justice system.
