Once prosperous and cultured, Venezuela has become destitute, crime-ridden and hopeless.
Venezuela’s
descent into poverty, desperation and organised crime is a cautionary
tale about the dangers of socialism. Young socialists should take heed,
Paul Meuller writes.
The shocking capture and extradition
of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife over the
weekend is the culmination of months of US pressure on the regime.
President Trump and other administration officials have labelled Maduro
and his close associates “narco-terrorists,” accusing him
of leading a huge criminal organisation and profiting by violating US
laws, selling large quantities of illegal narcotics which may have potentially killed Americans.
But
while the future of the Venezuelan regime is uncertain, it is worth
taking a few minutes to understand how Venezuela got to where it is
today and what Americans can learn from its descent into a
tyrannical/criminal regime.
The time for a warning may be especially appropriate. Zohran Mamdani’s election as New York City’s next mayor and Katie Wilson’s election as mayor of Seattle, both late last year, have people worrying about a surge in socialist sentiment across the US. Both Mamdani and Wilson openly campaigned as democratic socialists who believe: “No problem is too big, no issue is too small for the government” and “We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism.”
Many
with a lick of sense correctly criticise the naivety of these socialist
economic policy ideas and collectivist sentiments. But fewer recognise
the true horrors that can be unleashed by entitled college graduates
voting for massive wealth redistribution.
The tragedy of Venezuela serves as a cautionary tale.
Socialism plays the major role in the story of Venezuela’s descent into poverty, desperation, and organised crime (Tren de Aragua). David Friedberg, a venture capitalist and a member of the All-In Podcast, recently interviewed Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado about the fraudulent 2024 national election in Venezuela – highlighting
the tragedy of socialism and the resulting tyranny in Venezuela....<<<Read More>>>...
