Venezuela’s hyperinflation has been caused by an inept public policy of printing more money and private individuals making the most of differences between official and unofficial exchange rates.
Canada has been considered a human rights champion when it comes to accepting Syrian refugees. So why is it doing next to nothing for those fleeing Venezuela?
At least a dozen countries are supporting the Venezuelan opposition lawmaker Juan Guaidó, who has declared himself Venezuela’s legitimate leader while President Maduro rejects calls to resign.
Maduro, who was sworn in for his second term on Jan. 10, has rigged elections, jailed rivals and plunged Venezuela into crisis. But Trump’s proposed ‘military option’ to remove him remains unpopular.
Trump has called Venezuela a ‘human tragedy’ and threatened invasion while quietly deporting and denying asylum to Venezuelan refugees. His anti-socialist rhetoric may make for good midterm politics.
Robert Muggah, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio)
Up to 5,000 refugees flee hunger and chaos in Venezuela each day – a migrant crisis rivaling Syria’s. Most arrive to poor South American border cities that are dangerously unprepared for the influx.
Venezuela recently devalued its bolivar by 95 percent to tame rabid hyperinflation that has been sending prices on everyday goods through the roof. If history is a guide, it won’t work.
How long can a rogue regime survive assassination attempts, sanctions, bankruptcy, humanitarian crisis and mass unrest? When it comes to Venezuela, President Maduro may cling to power for some time.
The collapse of Venezuela’s public health system has terrible consequences inside the country, but it also is giving rise to mosquito-borne viruses that could spread to nearby countries.
Venezuela’s ruling Socialist Party won 39 of 40 major mayoral races on Dec. 10. A victorious President Nicolás Maduro is now likely to call a snap presidential election early next year. Can he win?
After the Maduro regime won Venezuela’s recent gubernatorial elections, results are contested, people are desperate and the opposition has fractured. Can the resistance survive this setback?
Visiting Scholar, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, Harvard University; Director of Studies at the Changing Character of War Centre, and Senior Research Fellow, Dept. of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford
Part-time Professor at the School of International Development and Global Studies at the University of Ottawa and the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University, Carleton University