"For many, the rhetoric revives memories of years defined by recession, hyperinflation and chronic shortages. Still, after many years of economic and political turmoil, some Venezuelans say they are coping the only way they know how: by carrying on. At a strip mall in Caracas, residents line up to buy water. Among them is Jose, a 74-year-old retired surgeon holding two small gallon jugs."
"As Christmas music plays in the background at the same mall, 63-year-old Carolina stops to buy a soda. She says the prospect of further economic collapse leaves her feeling helpless "It's a lie that the rich will pay the price," she says of tougher sanctions. "We are the ones who always pay." Trump has tried multiple strategies to push Maduro from power, says Javier Corrales, a political scientist at Amherst College."
President Donald Trump threatens a blockade that could prevent Venezuela from selling oil, its main source of revenue. Many Venezuelans recall years of recession, hyperinflation and chronic shortages and are preparing modestly for renewed hardship. Some residents continue daily routines while taking small precautions such as buying a few days' worth of food and water. Older citizens describe helplessness and frustration that ordinary people bear the cost of sanctions. Political analysts doubt that further decline will trigger mass rebellion, noting exhaustion and fear of repression. Analysts warn the government may increase illicit activities such as drug trafficking if oil income collapses.
#venezuelan-economic-crisis #oil-blockadesanctions #shortages-and-coping-strategies #government-illicit-activities
Read at www.npr.org
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]