Venezuelan security forces
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro blames 'fascists' and 'US spies' for the violent protests against his government.
Most of the protests have been in Venezuela's 'rich' neighbourhoods.
Oil at the heart of Venezuela's turmoil Financial Times, February 21, 2014
Maduro meets Putin
Venezuela has the world's largest energy reserves.
The USA would like to get its hands on Venezuela's oil.
Did Opposition Presidential Candidate Henrique Capriles have a falling out with the CIA?.
The trouble with Venezuela's government is partly 'extreme' socialism, which means a degree of inefficiency.
Think of shortages of toilet paper, for example.
Think of a fall in oil production.
Think of inflation of more than 56 per cent.
Venezuela's real inflation may be six times the official rate.
Venezuela has the fifth highest murder rate in the world.
Venezuela has its rich and its poor.
Venezuela - InSight Crime | Organized Crime in the Americas.
In 2013, President Nicolas Maduro announced that his law enforcement officials are investigating whether the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) was involved in a recent criminal case involving a multi-million dollar cocaine smuggling operation.
U.S. Drug Agents Smuggling Cocaine, Venezuelan President Says ...
Writer Keane Bhatt says of Venezuela: "Venezuela actually has the lowest income inequality of any country in Latin America...
"There is no doubt that high inflation continues to plague the country and that creates all kinds of problems when it comes to access to basic foodstuffs, you are seeing shortages on many of these goods.
"The municipal and regional elections which took place in December (2013) were convincingly won by the pro-government coalitions and those political parties gained basically a 10-point advantage over the opposition.
"So that coupled with Maduro's election last year (2013) mean that the government still retains a very broad mandate."
'Venezuela is low-hanging fruit for US'.
"The illegal drug trade has traditionally been controlled by foreign organizations, particularly Colombians, attracted by poor rule of law and corruption.
"However, there is evidence that beginning in the mid-2000s corrupt elements in the security forces stepped up their role in the business, forming a loose network dubbed the “Cartel de los Soles” (Cartel of the Suns)."
U.S. Drug Agents Smuggling Cocaine, Venezuelan President Says ...
"There is no doubt that high inflation continues to plague the country and that creates all kinds of problems when it comes to access to basic foodstuffs, you are seeing shortages on many of these goods.
"If you look at key indicators like calorie consumption, if you look at per capita GDP, real per capita income, you have increasing living standards for the past decade.
"Venezuela over the past decade has enjoyed pretty robust per capita economic growth, declining income inequality and many other kinds of indicators show pretty dramatic increases in the day-to-day life of the average Venezuelan...
"Venezuela over the past decade has enjoyed pretty robust per capita economic growth, declining income inequality and many other kinds of indicators show pretty dramatic increases in the day-to-day life of the average Venezuelan...
"So that coupled with Maduro's election last year (2013) mean that the government still retains a very broad mandate."
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