Trump is threatening Venezuela. But his own country looks a lot like it | Daniel Mendiola

"But we are seeing Trump's America, and the reality is: it's looking a lot like Venezuela. Since the 1998 election of Hugo Chavez a charismatic yet polarizing leftwing figure political discourses have shrouded Venezuela in conflicting layers of partisan caricature, often making it difficult to parse what is actually happening. At this point, however, there is no doubt that the country is in crisis."

"Migration statistics alone provide compelling evidence. Amnesty International and the UN refugee agency estimate that nearly 8 million Venezuelans have left the country since 2014 as much as 25% of the population. Hyperinflation and food shortages have driven this exodus, compounded by authoritarianism and increasing repression under Chavez's successor, Nicolas Maduro, who has held on to power since 2013 through elections with overwhelming evidence of fraud."

Venezuela has undergone a severe crisis marked by hyperinflation, food shortages, authoritarianism, and mass migration since Hugo Chavez's 1998 election and Nicolas Maduro's contested rule. Nearly eight million Venezuelans, roughly 25% of the population, have left since 2014. Political caricature has obscured clear understanding, while elections under Maduro showed overwhelming evidence of fraud. The United States has both mistreated Venezuelan asylum seekers and played a role in destabilizing the country, including a belligerent stance and support for a 2002 coup attempt. Contemporary US politics now displays features reminiscent of Venezuela's crisis.

Read at www.theguardian.com