The Gathering Storm in Venezuela
The Gathering Storm in Venezuela
As Venezuela hurtles toward global pariah status, democracies worldwide are finally acknowledging the crisis, writes AS/COA's Eric Farnsworth for Univision News.
Venezuela’s most recent voting exercise has shown that there is now little attachment to its so-called ‘Bolivarian Revolution’ outside the nation, or inside, for that matter, beyond those who continue to be engaged in corruption and criminal activities or otherwise depend on the state for food handouts and other direct albeit shrinking benefits.
The release of American citizen Joshua Holt from jail in Venezuela on Saturday is a welcome and long-overdue step, part of a charm offensive underway by the regime to slow momentum toward greater international isolation since the re installation of leader Nicolás Maduro. It's a calculated act that will nonetheless have little impact on the desire for fundamental change among outsiders and Venezuelans alike.
If there is a silver lining to the crisis, it is that the Maduro regime and the Bolivarian Revolution now lie fully exposed before the world, without excuse and without legitimacy. The regime is increasingly dependent on oppression to maintain control, fueled by the resources of foreign actors including security and intelligence support from Cuba, economic and financial support from China, and arms purchases and mutual sanctions-busting from Russia.
