A crisis is an unexpected event leading to dangerous and unstable results. Crisis in the past has affected countries all over the world, amounting to civil or world wars, dissolution of companies and also economic meltdown. When they affect a country’s constitutional system, they cause changes in all forms and arms of the government.
The South America country, Venezuela has recently plunged into a political crisis just after President Nicolás Maduro was sworn into office for the second term for another 6 years. The president wasn’t expecting that just after two weeks after induction, he will be almost dethroned. On January 23rd, the leader of the opposition National Assembly Juan Guaidó declared himself acting president of the country and will assume the powers of the executive branch from there onwards. Indeed, he directly provoked the ruling government and the power of President Nicolás Maduro
The oil-rich country once described as the richest country in South America, decided in the early 2000s, that the economic theory of neoliberalism was of no good to their economy as it contributed to the persistent inequality and poverty in the country. This led to the creation of social mission programs changing the community into a socialist economic system. On the one hand, it reduced poverty and improved the standard of living through the construction of thousands of free medical clinics and the enactment of food and housing subsidies. On the other hand, the system crippled the private sector leading to high inflation rates over time. This was the government President Nicolás Maduro inherited from the deceased Hugo Chavez. Venezuela’s economy continued to go through turbulence and even got worse with the falling oil prices that started in 2014.
When the branches of government disagree in a country, it can result in an economic shutdown, other times it leads to a coup d’Etat. In the case of Venezuela, it is having two presidents in power causing anarchy and a total state of disorderliness. Indeed, the whole body of the Venezuela government failed for driving the situation of the country to this extent. Immediately after Juan Guaidó Auto-proclaimed himself, the dominating western countries directly showed their support with President Donald Trump of the United States championing the act followed by Canada, France, Germany, Sweden, United Kingdom and many more. It is interesting to observe that the defenders of Democracy were the first to rally around an undemocratically declared president. Democracy is supposed to be a government in which the supreme power is given to the people through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections. An auto proclaimed President is not a respecter of Democracy because according to order, there has to be an election in which the populace votes in their President.
While the countries in opposition of the Western imperialism and the US hegemony like China, Cuba, Turkey and Russia rally around the constitutionally elected government Nicolás Maduro, we are forced to ask ourselves if this crisis is gradually turning into another type of Syrian or Libyan Crisis. We wonder if there are subliminal benefits tending the support of west to Auto-declared president Juan Guaidó. What we know so far is that countries in the past that resisted to this imperialism rarely came out in good shape. As Syrian 8 years war comes to an end, might we assume that Venezuelans are about to continue from where the Syrians government stopped? Should Venezuelans support the incumbent president Nicolás Maduro to avoid a continual crisis? Should they back the Auto-declared president Juan Guaidó?
In the midst of this political and economic crisis, hunger and strive persist with the population fleeing to neighboring countries for food and a better livelihood. The government of Nicolás Maduro has bluntly refused all sorts of humanitarian aid from the US insisting that it is a form of peacocking. It is clear that we live in a world of globalization and interdependence but this should not be translated into interference and unlawful sanctions. All countries will not dance to the same tune, irrespective of the music the presidency dances to, the lives and respect of the citizens are the most important and should be preserved.
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