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For those who want an impartial overview on Venezuela's economic woes, I high recommend the podcast below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrfM5UD-Azk https://

by Laforet 10y ago

For those who want an impartial overview on Venezuela's economic woes, I high recommend the podcast below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrfM5UD-Azk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrfM5UD-Azk Hint: It did not begin with Chavismo, but it has got worse since.

jacobolus 10y ago
Venezuela’s political problems also did not begin with Chavismo (indeed, Chavismo was a populist response to entrenched political corruption of the previous ruling elite). My take is that (a) development of political institutions and functioning civil society is really hard, (b) being a petrostate makes it much harder, and (c) when you’re a weak undiversified petrostate and oil prices collapse, heaven help you.
Pxtl 10y ago
That didn't sound too impartial to me. Seemed to have a firmly anti-left opinion.
- Laforet 10y ago
  I was actually expecting criticism from the other direction since the presenter unequivocally blames the upper and middle class for their role in the ongoing crisis and see the Chavista government as enablers of continued plundering of Venezuela's national coffers by the same group of people.
- duncan_bayne 10y ago
  Would you expect an impartial analysis of other morally and logically flawed philosophies?
- pessimizer 10y ago
  As a person on the left, I didn't recognize any anti-left sentiment in the video (which I thought was excellent.) If you're looking for a neutral analysis that won't blame policies instituted or continued by the group that has been in power for 20 years for its current situation, you're looking for something that is impossible. Saying that they have completely failed to prevent the predictable catastrophe that would be caused by the fall in oil prices is undeniable. Blaming it on the rich who are reaping massive profits by exploiting Venezuela's policies instituted to mitigate the harm to the populace is like blaming the wind. Rich are going to rich, it was up to Chavez to come up with a sustainable defense to that rather than simply pumping more petrodollars in. It was a boat with a big leak, and it's becoming more leak than boat.
  - Pxtl 10y ago
    It seem to pretty clearly level its accusations at every left-wing government in South America, not just Venezuela.

by Laforet 10y ago

jacobolus 10y ago

Venezuela’s political problems also did not begin with Chavismo (indeed, Chavismo was a populist response to entrenched political corruption of the previous ruling elite). My take is that (a) development of political institutions and functioning civil society is really hard, (b) being a petrostate makes it much harder, and (c) when you’re a weak undiversified petrostate and oil prices collapse, heaven help you.

Pxtl 10y ago

That didn't sound too impartial to me. Seemed to have a firmly anti-left opinion.

Laforet 10y ago
I was actually expecting criticism from the other direction since the presenter unequivocally blames the upper and middle class for their role in the ongoing crisis and see the Chavista government as enablers of continued plundering of Venezuela's national coffers by the same group of people.
duncan_bayne 10y ago
Would you expect an impartial analysis of other morally and logically flawed philosophies?
pessimizer 10y ago
As a person on the left, I didn't recognize any anti-left sentiment in the video (which I thought was excellent.) If you're looking for a neutral analysis that won't blame policies instituted or continued by the group that has been in power for 20 years for its current situation, you're looking for something that is impossible. Saying that they have completely failed to prevent the predictable catastrophe that would be caused by the fall in oil prices is undeniable. Blaming it on the rich who are reaping massive profits by exploiting Venezuela's policies instituted to mitigate the harm to the populace is like blaming the wind. Rich are going to rich, it was up to Chavez to come up with a sustainable defense to that rather than simply pumping more petrodollars in. It was a boat with a big leak, and it's becoming more leak than boat.
- Pxtl 10y ago
  It seem to pretty clearly level its accusations at every left-wing government in South America, not just Venezuela.