Issue in Focus: Venezuela

Andrés Bello and Protests: What this Means for Venezuela’s Future

By Victor Salcedo

Andrés Bello, eighteenth century Venezuelan philosopher and Simón Bolívar’s teacher, said that “only the unity of the people and the solidarity of its leaders guarantee the greatness of nations.” This is a quote that should be remembered in today’s Venezuela, where the country is divided and on the slow, painful path of irreversible implosion without […]

Venezuela Must Avoid More Violence Over Protests

By New Atlanticist

The United States and its allies should press Venezuela’s government to avoid further violence following the street protests in which five people have been reported killed, the Atlantic Council’s Jason Marczak says. President Nicolas Maduro has seen three weeks of demonstrations intensify following his government’s arrest Tuesday of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. “The protests in […]

Marczak on Venezuelan Election Results

By Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

Question: What do the results suggest about the level of support for the president, the opposition and where the country may be headed? Is a big change likely to come about in Venezuela in 2014? Chavismo may have won the popular vote in the December 8 municipal elections, but the opposition can rightly claim its […]

More Uncertainty Ahead of Venezuela’s Municipal Elections

By Jason Marczak and Peter Schechter

Where is Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro taking his country? Clearly, it is radicalizing further and faster than under his predecessor, Hugo Chávez. Exactly one month before the December 8 municipal elections, Maduro announced the “occupation” of the Daka chain of electronics stores and security forces proceeded to arrest several executives. A few days later he […]

Spotlight Venezuela

By Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

In the first installment of our Spotlight series, the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center explores three scenarios of how the increasingly volatile situation in Venezuela may unfold. This is a particularly critical moment as the country heads toward municipal elections on December 8 with President Nicolás Maduro recently being granted emergency decree powers […]

Spotlight Venezuela | November 12

By Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center

Nearly seven months after a highly contentious presidential election, Venezuela’s political, economic, and social future is increasingly uncertain. On November 8, President Nicolás Maduro ordered the “occupation” of an electronics store chain followed by a call for “Bolivarian militias” to flood the streets to crack down on the “right- wing’s fascist economic war.” Security forces are enforcing […]

Is Venezuela Going Over the Edge? An Assessment from Human Rights Defenders

On October 29, 2013, the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center and Freedom House hosted a conversation with three Venezuelan human rights activists on the state of democracy and freedom in Venezuela.