Venezuela

Venezuela’s Odd Transition to Dictatorship

Venezuela proved last week that it can still defy regional trends. By suspending the process to carry out a recall referendum on President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela became the only country in Latin America since the late 1970s to experience the transition to a full dictatorship. When I started studying Venezuela in the early 1990s, the … Read more

AQ Top 5 Jóvenes Políticos: Patricia de Ceballos

Read in English Patricia de Ceballos podría haber hervido de la rabia después de que su esposo, Daniel Ceballos, el alcalde de la ciudad venezolana de San Cristóbal, fue encarcelado tras una protesta nacional en 2014. Pero decidió no ser, dijo a AQ, “la esposa del prisionero que se queda en la casa y sólo … Read more

AQ Top 5 Politicians Under 40: Patricia de Ceballos

This article is adapted from AQ’s most recent issue, “Fixing Brazil.” To see the rest of our Top 5, click here. Leer en español Patricia de Ceballos could have simmered in anger after her husband, Daniel Ceballos, the mayor of the Venezuelan city of San Cristóbal, was jailed following nationwide demonstrations in February 2014. But, … Read more

Chávez Yes, Maduro No. The Growing Split in Venezuela.

You can call them Chávez acolytes, you can call them Bolivarians, just don’t call them pro-Maduro. As Venezuela’s economy and institutions continue to deteriorate, long-running rifts within the country’s socialist left are becoming more apparent. Nowhere is this more evident than among a growing group of supporters of late former President Hugo Chávez who accuse the current president, Nicolás … Read more

Why Mercosur Is Stuck with Venezuela

Venezuela’s September 1 demonstrations, in which as many as a million people took to the streets of Caracas to demand a change in government, were certainly impressive. But were they effective? If the goal was to fundamentally alter the country’s political direction, the answer is probably “no.” Despite the buzz generated by this month’s protests … Read more

How Sept. 1 Could Be the Beginning of the End for Venezuela’s Maduro

September 1 may mark a “before and after” moment in Venezuela’s political and economic crisis. Following further delays by the electoral authority on advancing a recall referendum against President Nicolás Maduro, opposition leaders have called on residents across the country to mobilize in the capital city this Thursday in what they have dubbed “The Grand … Read more

AQ Top 5 Latin American Academics: Ricardo Hausmann

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Venezuela’s “know-how” economist has helped countries like Colombia, Mexico and Peru shield themselves from boom and bust cycles.

AQ Top 5 Latin American Academics: Mónica Ponce de León

Leer en español See the rest of the AQ Top 5 As a child growing up in booming, prosperous 1970s Caracas, Mónica Ponce de León found inspiration for a future career in the modernist architecture springing up around her. “Everyone felt that the buildings represented the progressive culture of the city,” Ponce de León, now … Read more

This Week in Latin America: Brazil’s New Speaker

Sign up here to get This Week in Latin America delivered to your inbox every Monday. Brazil’s New Speaker: Brazil’s lower house will elect a new speaker on Wednesday, following the tearful resignation of Eduardo Cunha on July 7 amid an ethics investigation. Accused of taking up to $40 million in bribes and lying about an offshore bank account linked to the vast … Read more

Venezuela: Is This the Final Straw?

To see a full list of electoral irregularities that have occurred since Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro took office, scroll to the bottom of the page I recently wrote about the one institutional factor that, in my opinion, is keeping Venezuela’s government alive. I called it the judicial shield, which refers to how the Supreme Court … Read more

How Latin America Should Address the Crisis in Venezuela

This morning’s call from the chief of the Organization of American States (OAS) for an emergency meeting to discuss the erosion of democracy in Venezuela signals that regional leaders are taking a tougher stance with the Caracas government. But to go beyond mere rhetoric, Brazil and Argentina must also step up. Susana Malcorra and José … Read more

After Brazil, Will Venezuela Be Next to Remove Its President?

Throughout Latin America, there is talk about presidential interruptions, again. In the last seven years, four presidents have left office prematurely – Manuel Zelaya in Honduras, Fernando Lugo in Paraguay, Otto Pérez Molina in Guatemala, and now Dilma Rousseff in Brazil. Many analysts think that Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro is next. However, there is good … Read more

Venezuela’s Zika Outbreak May Be 150 Times Worse Than Reported, Study Says

When it comes to the Zika virus’ impact on Venezuela, it’s the government’s word versus Google and Twitter. Based on data gathered in part from the search engine and social network, the watchdog health group Observatorio Venezolano de la Salud (OVS) estimates that nearly 700,000 people have been infected with Zika in Venezuela. That’s around 150 … Read more

Cómo es vivir en la ciudad más violenta de Venezuela – y del mundo

Read in English La capital venezolana ya es la ciudad más peligrosa del mundo; incluso peor para miembros del ayuntamiento como Jesús Armas. A los veinte y nueve años, Armas, quien fue elegido por primera vez en diciembre 2013, ha sido testigo del crecimiento de la tasa de asesinatos a 120 homicidios por 100.000 personas … Read more