Under Chavez he turned Venezuela into a puppet ruled by Cuba. He was responsible for the destruction of the nation, which was suffering from the collapse of the oil market, just as were several other countries in South America. His alliance with the Cubans resulted in the Cubans having total influence over the Chaves administration. His policies, which have been continued by Maduro have left the people in desperation with over 2.5 million having fled the country. People are literally starving to death. Chavez was a typical demagogue who took advantage of the situation promising the people he would return the nation to prosperity. The fact is that he destroyed the chance of the nation's recovery. Here are just a couple of facts: hyperinflation has reached one million percent per year. Over 60 percent of Venezuelans life in extreme poverty and 89% report that don't have enough money to food. It so drastic that over 60 percent report that they have lost an average of 24 pounds. The nation is in collapse with the health care, education and policing. A small cadre of the high-ranking officials, including members of the presidents family were indicted in U.S. federal courts on money laundering charges concerning $2.1 billion dollars in illegal funds from drugs and the oil industry that is now in shambles.
These facts are taken from the article published in the journal Foreign Affairs by Moises Naim and Francisco Toro. Naim is Distinguished Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and editor of the The Atlantic. Toro is Chief Content Officer at Group or Fifty and Global Opinion Columnist for The Washington Post. I would suggest that anyone wanting a comprehensive coverage of the situation include their informed articles.
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