The crisis in Venezuela
The crisis in Venezuela
Officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the fourth largest country in South America is located on the northern coast of the continent and with an estimated population around thirty million citizens. The spanish speaking country is one of the most urbanized in South America with the majority of the population living in and around Caracas, the country’s capital. Venezuela is best known for its vast natural resources, specially its reserves of crude oil and gas, making it an important producing and exporting nation. In this friendly and welcoming country, baseball is the most popular sport, alongside basketball and soccer. But the undisputed champion in popularity is the Miss Universe contest, with many wins in recent past by the beautiful women of the country. What is far from attractive is the desperate and chaotic situation that surrounds the nation, recently marked by violent protests from young students and government opposition.
Since the beginning of February, the country has been ensnared by protests, violence and death. Already one of the most violent places on Earth - a person is murdered every 21 minutes and there were roughly twenty four thousand seven hundred violent deaths last year - the country is going through a massive shake-up. What began as peaceful protests by students against the government of current President Nicholas Maduro has become the perfect excuse for a brutal government crackdown. At least thirty nine people, among them both government and opposition supporters, have died in incidents linked to protests.
Major social and economic problems have fueled the protests. But as demonstrations gained steam, officials have pointed fingers at other factors and accused the United States of plotting to destabilize the government. "In Venezuela, rather than trying to distract from its own failings by making up false accusations against diplomats from the United States, the government ought to focus on
Officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, the fourth largest country in South America is located on the northern coast of the continent and with an estimated population around thirty million citizens. The spanish speaking country is one of the most urbanized in South America with the majority of the population living in and around Caracas, the country’s capital. Venezuela is best known for its vast natural resources, specially its reserves of crude oil and gas, making it an important producing and exporting nation. In this friendly and welcoming country, baseball is the most popular sport, alongside basketball and soccer. But the undisputed champion in popularity is the Miss Universe contest, with many wins in recent past by the beautiful women of the country. What is far from attractive is the desperate and chaotic situation that surrounds the nation, recently marked by violent protests from young students and government opposition.
Since the beginning of February, the country has been ensnared by protests, violence and death. Already one of the most violent places on Earth - a person is murdered every 21 minutes and there were roughly twenty four thousand seven hundred violent deaths last year - the country is going through a massive shake-up. What began as peaceful protests by students against the government of current President Nicholas Maduro has become the perfect excuse for a brutal government crackdown. At least thirty nine people, among them both government and opposition supporters, have died in incidents linked to protests.
Major social and economic problems have fueled the protests. But as demonstrations gained steam, officials have pointed fingers at other factors and accused the United States of plotting to destabilize the government. "In Venezuela, rather than trying to distract from its own failings by making up false accusations against diplomats from the United States, the government ought to focus on