Venezuela in Crisis - How Do We Choose Sides?

by Brian T. Lynch, MSW

The economy and social order in Venezuela are in free-fall. Inflation is running over 1,200%. Even citizens who have money can't buy what they need because the store shelves are mostly empty. Hospitals lack medicine and basic supplies. Crime rates are rising and the murder rate is now 15 times the global average, according to one source I read. Massive and increasingly bloody protests are becoming more frequent. Protesters are being met with forceful crackdowns and in some cases are starting to meet force with force. Narco-trafficking by politicians and military leaders is on the rise. Even the Vice President, Tareck El Aissami, has been indicted here in the US for drug trafficking and money laundering. Three million Venezuelan refugees have fled to Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador, Argentina Peru, and Chile. It's already the largest refugee crisis ever in South America, and it's just getting started.

Is the socialist government put in place by the late Hugo Chevez to blame for the breakdown, or are covert activities of the United States to bring down another left-leaning regime in South America to blame, as Chevez' predecessor claims?

I spoke with a person who has family there. Food and medicine really are in short supply. This person's family and friends down there are able to get by for now, but prospects are gloomy. The internet is being taken off-line for long periods of time to prevent pictures and communications from being transmitted abroad. The military is guarding food warehouses but also hoarding some of that food for their own families. People are leaving the country (up to 5,000 a day, according to what I read). Protesters are being beaten or even shot by government security forces. Some of the security forces are wearing army uniforms but are actually Cuban special forces, or in some cases, Iranians (I haven't read anything anywhere so far that support these claims). One Iranian cornered by anti-government protestors was allegedly dressed in a national military uniform but didn't even speak Spanish. According to this person's family, 80% to 90% of the people in Venezuela want President Maduro to step down.

I know we can't put much stock in this one secondhand account, but it does lend support to information from other reputable sources I have read. On the other hand, even some liberal-leaning media sources I trust see the opposition leader, Juan Guaido, as a pawn in a US meddling campaign to topple the leftwing government of Nicolas Maduro. When Hugo Chavez nationalized the oil company and the banks down there he angered a lot of conservatives in this country. The situation on its face fits perfectly into a historical pattern of US interference in the Americas. But is this a different situation?

I can fully sympathize with the liberal skepticism given the ugly US history of destabilizing left-leaning countries in South America in the past. But in this case, the facts so far lead me to believe that President Maduro is a corrupt authoritarian who is ruthlessly consolidating power while acting against the best interests of his people. Even the optics seem to confirm this position. How do people living in a country where the store shelves are empty get their hands on matching red caps and tee shirts to show support for the Maduro government?

I hope crisis in Venezuela resoIvs peacefull. I want to understand this situation better. I want the facts. If anyone reading this post has reliable sources of facts that contradict my current conclusions, I would appreciate your sharing them with me. I want to support what majority of Venezuelan people want regardless of ideology. Thank you.