A recent New York Times editorial, brings to light the current state of affairs in Venezuela and that state of affairs is dire. Regardless of one’s political leanings, it has become apparent that things in Venezuela cannot continue down this path for much longer.
There were a couple of things in the editorial that really jumped out at me. One was the constant referencing of Mr. Chavez. It seems to me that political parties that continue to bring up what they consider their glory days – the 14 years when Mr. Chavaz governed in Caracas or the Ronald Reagan years for the US Republican Party – tend to be out of touch with their population and quickly lose their appeal to any one outside of their fiercely loyal bases. Ghosts do not govern.
The second that caught my eye was the quote about being marked like cattle when waiting in line at the supermarket. This immediately brings to mind the lines in the former Soviet Union for basic consumer staples like bread and sugar. People waiting in line have plenty of time to think and a thinking populace can be a dangerous thing for any government let alone a government that is struggling to maintain control.
Maduro managed to tread water for a while – on the wave of continued support for Chavez – but now is is starting to appear that he is a swimmer starting to struggle and the shore is a long way away. I expect Venezuela to continue to makes its way on the front page of news stories throughout the remainder of the year. Let us just hope that they news starts to trend positive.