Economic and Political Crisis in Venezuela

The Heat

The United States threatens sanctions after months of violent protests in Venezuela. Already dozens of protesters have been killed with hundreds more injured. What impact, if any, would sanctions have and what efforts are being made to end the political standoff between President Nicolas Maduro’s government and opposition leaders?

Since February, at least 42 people have been killed and hundreds of others injured in anti-government demonstrations in Venezuela. Students and other opponents of President Nicolas Maduro’s socialist government are protesting crime, inflation and shortages of basic goods. Maduro has dismissed the call for sanctions, calling U-S lawmakers “fools.”

In an opinion piece in the New York Times, President Maduro wrote “Venezuela needs peace and dialogue to move forward. We welcome anyone who sincerely wants to help us reach these goals”. Peace talks have now stalled after both sides failed to agree on an amnesty proposal for jailed opposition activists. And the U-S Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to push forward a plan to impose limited sanctions on Venezuela. CCTV’s Martin Markovits reports.

Economic and Political Crisis in Venezuela

Peace talks have now stalled after both sides failed to agree on an amnesty proposal for jailed opposition activists. And the U-S Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted to push forward a plan to impose limited sanctions on Venezuela. CCTV’s Martin Markovits reports.

Are sanctions the answer or would they just add fuel to an already contentious relationship between the United States and Venezuela? CCTV’s Anand Naidoo is Joined by Erick Langer, professor of History and the Director of the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University, to discuss more.

This year Time Magazine named President Nicolas Maduro one of its 100 Most Influential People. TIME said an economic collapse in Venezuela hinges on whether Maduro can step out of the shadow of his mentor Hugo Chavez. CCTV’s Anand Naidoo talks to Laura Rojas, an economist with over 20 years of experience in international economic policy, on his perspectives on Venezuela economics; and George Ciccariello-Maher, a Political Science professor at Drexel University and the author of “We Created Chavez: A People’s History of the Venezuelan Revolution.”

Venezuela has been described as a divided country with so-called “Chavista” supporters of President Nicolas Maduro on one side and an anti-government movement on the other. John Maisto, former U-S Ambassador to Venezuela, joins Anand Naidoo with more detail.