In claiming the election was “stolen” from him and using the office of the president to the benefit of his family, Trump dips into the authoritarian playbook to convert power into property.
The late Hugo Chavez and Donald Trump share similarities in their attempts to use illness for political gain.
(THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Even though they occupied different ends of the political spectrum, Donald Trump and the late Hugo Chávez share one thing in common — their attempts to use illness to benefit them politically.
Many of Latin America’s leftist ‘revolutions’ are now in crisis. But the left is resurging in some countries.
The Conversation / Photo Claudia Daut/Reuters
Progressives are leading in the presidential elections of Argentina, Uruguay and Bolivia, bucking the region’s recent rightward trend. But there are lessons in the failures of leftists past.
A line of cars spills on to the street as drivers wait to fill their tanks at a fuel station in Cabimas, Venezuela, in May 2019. U.S. sanctions on oil-rich Venezuela appear to be taking hold, resulting in mile-long lines for fuel and other hardships.
AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
The devastating costs of economic sanctions on Venezuela are being ignored or disregarded. So too is the lack of a legal basis for international intervention.
‘Laugh so you don’t cry’: Venezuelan students crack up as they stand near a damaged mural of Venezuelan independence hero Simon Bolivar in Caracas, Venezuela, Feb. 7, 2019.
AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd
The rise of black comedy to explain Venezuela’s chaos recalls an old saying in the crisis-stricken South American country: ‘Laugh so you don’t cry.’
Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro throws his handkerchief into a crowd of supporters at an anti-imperialist rally for peace in Caracas, Venezuela, in March 2019.
(AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
During the Cold War, socialism was portrayed as a gateway drug to communist orthodoxy. The crisis in Venezuela has resurrected tired old tropes about “pinks” and “useful idiots.”
Nicolás Mauro supporters beneath a Hugo Chávez mural.
Cristian Hernández/EPA
Venezuela is gripped by a struggle for power, and much of the rest of the world is leaning in. Just how did it find itself in this position?
Thanks to current right-wing populists, people are conflating right wing ideologies such as being anti-migrant with populism.
Felicity Burke/The Conversation
Everyone seems to be talking about populism. But if it is to appeal to ordinary people, why is often framed as a negative thing?
Venezuelan President Maduro gestures to military leaders to keep their eyes open following a news conference at the presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela.
(AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
Beginning with President Chávez and continuing under President Maduro, Venezuela has evolved into a rampant kleptocracy.
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez was a major financier of Nicaragua’s Daniel Ortega, seen here at a 2016 commemoration on the third anniversary of the socialist leader’s death.
Reuters/Marco Bello
Cheap Venezuelan oil boosted Nicaragua’s economy and funded President Daniel Ortega’s many anti-poverty programs. With Venezuela in crisis, the oil has dried up – as has support for Ortega’s regime.
Fewer than 20 countries worldwide have recognized the re-election of Nicolás Maduro as Venezuela’s president.
Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
Maduro’s landslide May 20 re-election marks the official death of democracy in Venezuela. Dozens of nations worldwide have declared the vote illegitimate, and the US imposed new sanctions.
China, Russia and the International Monetary Fund are among those contemplating a Venezuela bailout. But help for this debt-stricken nation seems far from assured.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro (center) attends a graduation of National Armed Forces.
Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS
The loyalty of Venezuela’s soldiers is getting shaky. History shows from the Arab Spring to Latin American coups, when the military withdraws support for a leader, a fall from power is imminent.