The Venezuelan Crisis
As some of you may know: Venezuela is in a crisis. Juan Guaidó, the president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared himself president of the country. He argued that Maduro’s victory in the 2018 presidential election was illegitimate. Maduro’s refusal to step down has thrown the country into chaos. According to the Venezuelan constitution, if the office of the president is vacant, the leader of the National Assembly automatically becomes interim president while new elections are convened. One way to solve this crisis would be for Maduro to step down and allow for independent elections.
When Maduro was elected in 2013, he inherited a strong economy driven by high oil prices, which allowed him to continue funding Chavez’s (the previous president) popular social programs, such as low-income housing and subsidized food distribution. But many experts claim the Venezuelan government Maduro took over was too dependent on oil revenue and faced long-overlooked structural issues. Suddenly oil prices dropped, and Maduro was unable to continue funding social programs. The government started spending less on the state-run oil industry, which caused production to drop. A shortage food followed as the economy went into decline.
So what's next? In January, the United States imposed sanctions on Venezuela that prohibit American businesses from buying Venezuelan oil and exporting gasoline. These sanctions are likely to worsen gas shortages in Venezuela and hinder food distribution and humanitarian assistance as long as the crisis continues. In the meantime, humanitarian aid has languished on the Venezuelan-Colombian border. All while the United States increases pressure on the Venezuelan military to end the blockade. Many Venezuelan citizens have stood protest at the border, leaving many injured and maintaining room for violence.
Why is this relevant? This crisis is creating thousands of new refugees, it's an assault on democracy, it could give a rise to anti-American sentiment in the region, and it's causing unimaginable suffering.
Why is this relevant? This crisis is creating thousands of new refugees, it's an assault on democracy, it could give a rise to anti-American sentiment in the region, and it's causing unimaginable suffering.
Works Cited
Martinez, Gabriela. "What's happening in Venezuela?" PBS News Hour. 18 February, 2019. Web.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/whats-happening-in-venezuela.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/whats-happening-in-venezuela.
Wow, I didn't know about this! This is so terrible!! :(
ReplyDeleteIt is terrible and interesting to see how one decision can affect millions of other people.
ReplyDelete