What’s Behind the Venezuelan University Strikes?

[Lugal Zaggesi]

2. Maduro doesn't want loans in Europe

Chavez was very explicit about getting out of the IMF and World Bank "game" that locks small countries into longterm debt:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/may/01/venezuela.imf

Maduro was meeting with executives of Total, Renault and Airbus in Paris - discussing things like purchasing a “large” number of airliners for the Venezuelan national carrier, Conviasa. He also met with people in Portugal, inking a deal to import 100,000 tonnes of frozen food and a joint project to complete a freeway between Caracas and the Simon Bolivar International Airport in Maiquetia.

Drumming up bilateral economic agreements is one important thing Presidents do.

In the Age of Peak Oil, Venezuela doesn't have to worry about "going broke". They just have to worry about foreign agents like Capriles destabilizing the country enough to encourage Rightwing Forces to stage another military coup d'etat, like in 2002.