Venezuela

Maduro Defying (and Will Outlast) Trump, Just Like Assad Did Obama (and Castro Did Kennedy)

Monday, May 6, 2019 at 7:07 AM

Written by Anthony L. Hall

President Trump is notoriously thin-skinned. And nothing gets under it quite like observations that he’s behaving just like his predecessor, Barack Obama. Yet there’s no denying that he’s behaving towards Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro just as Obama did towards Syrian President Bashir al-Assad. No doubt you recall Obama declaring that Assad must go: The future… Read more.

The Americas: China Encroaching, Migrants Caravanning, US Retreating, CARICOM Flailing, Venezuela Failing, Russia Reclaiming… It’s All a Trumpian Mess!

Monday, April 1, 2019 at 8:04 AM

Written by Anthony L. Hall

[Note: I have written 4,135 commentaries on this weblog over the past 15 years. What follows is the longest by far … Reports are that even a 33-character tweet tests the attention span of most people these days. Therefore, I fully appreciate how daring (or foolish) it is to publish this 21,000-character commentary. And no,… Read more.

Maduro Holds onto Power in Venezuela and Guaido Is Struggling to Get It

Monday, March 4, 2019 at 7:15 AM

Written by Anthony L. Hall

Maduro Holds onto Power in Venezuela Venezuela is reeling under President Maduro’s leadership. He’s ruling more like an autocratic tyrant than a socialist revolutionary. Venezuela’s interim president, Juan Guaido, has announced his intention of returning to his homeland [today] from Ecuador, a move that would likely result in his arrest by Venezuelan authorities. … Last… Read more.

Venezuela Assassinates ‘Rambo’ Coup Leader

Thursday, January 25, 2018 at 6:36 AM

Written by Anthony L. Hall

Venezuela might not be a “shithole country,” but it’s certainly a basket case — so much so that it’s making Zimbabwe look like a paragon of political stability and economic sustainability. Five years ago, there were 4000 white-owned farms in Zimbabwe; today, there are only 400 (mostly unproductive) farms left. Five years ago, Zimbabwe was… Read more.

Maduro taking Venezuela on a flight of fancy, flying by the seat of his pants

Saturday, August 5, 2017 at 8:03 AM

Written by Anthony L. Hall

Venezuela’s controversial new assembly has opened despite fierce opposition at home and abroad. President Nicolás Maduro says the constituent assembly is needed to bring peace after months of crisis. But the opposition says the new body, which has the ability to rewrite the constitution, is a way for the president to cling to power. (BBC,… Read more.

Trump Threatens Venezuela’s Dying Economy with Economic Sanctions

Wednesday, July 19, 2017 at 7:27 AM

Written by Anthony L. Hall

Venezuela has been on a political and economic descent into the heart of darkness for years. I have bemoaned this unfolding tragedy in many commentaries, including most recently in “Venezuela’s Death Spiral of Recession, Protest, and Repression,” April 24, 2017. But it speaks volumes that so much is being made of Sunday’s pyrrhic reprieve –… Read more.

Venezuela’s Death Spiral of Recession, Protest, and Repression

Monday, April 24, 2017 at 8:08 AM

Written by Anthony L. Hall

Despite having the world’s largest proven oil reserves, Venezuela has suffered for several years from high inflation, rampant crime and a shortage of basic goods. The protests taking place across the country were expected to be the biggest in three years, putting extra pressure on President Maduro to negotiate with the opposition and find a… Read more.

Venezuela Finally Awakens from Chavismo Dream

Wednesday, December 9, 2015 at 6:05 AM

Written by Anthony L. Hall

According to the February 13, 2014, edition of Business Insider, Venezuela sits on the world’s third largest energy reserves – valued at $34.9 trillion. This includes 297.6 billion barrels of oil – the most of any oil-producing country. Therefore, it speaks volumes that 25 percent of Venezuelans live below the poverty line. Even those who… Read more.

Chávez Chavismo: More a Robbing Hoodlum than Robin Hood

Wednesday, August 12, 2015 at 9:38 AM

Written by Anthony L. Hall

My socialist affinities are such that I used to be a big fan of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez: His critics argue that Chávez is merely expropriating property in a Robert Mugabe-style land grab. (No doubt Mugabe is flattered by the allusion.) But Chávez has declared it a ‘war on the latifundio’ (or rich estate owners),… Read more.

Pandemic of Democratic Revolutions against Democratic Leaders Hits Venezuela

Wednesday, March 5, 2014 at 8:21 AM

Written by Anthony L. Hall

Alas, the oxymoronic pandemic of protesters fomenting democratic revolutions to overthrow democratic leaders has spread to Venezuela. For what began a few weeks ago in one area of the country as a demand for greater police protection has now become a national uprising aimed at overthrowing the president, Nicolas Maduro. The discrediting irony, however, is… Read more.