Bankruptcy. Hunger. Creeping despotism. Political prisoners. Mass exodus. Popular uprisings. Police killings. The world has watched aghast this past year as Venezuela, once a rich and stable South American nation, has descended into chaos.
The Conversation Global has followed events in the country closely, commissioning local experts to explain the unexplainable. Here, we bring you our best news and analysis of Venezuela’s crisis, written by the people who live it every day.
In the face of rising protest, Venezuela’s government has called on the military to squelch dissent. Efecto Eco /Wikimedia, CC BY, CC BY
Venezuela’s opposition has called a 48-hour strike to stop the Maduro government from rewriting the constitution. But grassroots democracy may not be able to save the Bolivarian Republic. Miguel Angel Latouche
Those who’ve stayed in Venezuela are there to fight. Hugo Londoño/flickr, CC BY-SA, CC BY-SA
As violence spikes, hunger spreads, and their country unravels, the youth of Venezuela must decide whether to join the resistance at home or build their lives abroad. Emilio Osorio Alvarez
Inflation reached 800% in Venezuela. Here, a banknote featuring president Nicolas Maduro’s face has been stamped as ‘devalued’. Jorge Silva/Reuters
How is a country that was once South America’s richest now on the verge of bankruptcy? A Venezuelan economist breaks down his country’s complicated descent into chaos. Henkel García U
It’s hard to know what to believe these days. Marco Bello/Reuters
The president has fled the country. An activist has died in jail. A military coup is afoot. Fake news is dividing Venezuelans, making a peaceful end to its profound crisis ever less likely. Miguel Angel Latouche
If Maduro is to stay in power, he needs to keep these guys on his side. Reuters
If the military abandons Venezuela’s power-grabbing president, it’s game over for the Maduro regime, which relies on the army’s willingness to continue repressing, even killing, the citizens it is supposed to protect. Benigno Alarcón
ExxonMobil and Venezuela have been spatting over oil for decades. Reuters
Venezuela and ExxonMobil have been fighting over oil for decades. How will Rex Tillerson’s history impact relations between the US and Venezuela now that he’s leading the US State Department? Sary Levy-Carciente and María Teresa Romero