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Lopez: 'Venezuela on the brink of collapse'

Monday, December 29th 2014 - 08:04 UTC
Full article 15 comments

Human rights traded for other means of survival as shortages hit average people, says the 43-year-old Harvard graduate from his prison cell in a letter to the Wall Street Journal . Read full article

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  • LEPRecon

    Maduro is desperate and hopes that the Cuban military stationed in his country will be enough to save him.

    Of course, if the Cuban military open fire on Venezuelans it would give the US the right to intervene, and the progress Cuba had finally made with the US would be gone.

    But Lopez is right about one thing. Where is Latin America? Why aren't they living up to their responsibilities regarding human rights? Why aren't they condemning Maduro and his government?

    They've always been very quick to accuse 'the west' of human right violations (never Russia, China or North Korea though), but appear to have blindfolds on when things happen closer to home.

    That is why South America will always remain in the little league. They use human rights as a political tool, staunchly defending them ONLY when it suits them politically, and just as staunchly ignoring them when it is politically inconvenient.

    All I can say is 'Grow a pair, South America' and put you money where your mouths are. And if peacekeepers are needed in Venezuela, then SA countries should be the 1st to be volunteering to help out...but I'd bet they wouldn't.

    Dec 29th, 2014 - 10:52 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Captain Poppy

    Imagine that....Venezuela all but a failed state under the stewardship of a bus driver.

    I find it highly unlikely that we would intervene is Cuba opened fire....unless it was directed toward the Embassy.

    Dec 29th, 2014 - 11:17 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Demantoid Garnet

    @ 1 - I couldn't agree more. “Grow a pair” is right on target.

    So often you hear the Latin America countries using grand, sweeping statements about human rights... and that they were (and continue to be) victims of the capitalist conspiracy to the north. If that's not enough, they fall into the “Colonial” history discussion, just to add a bit more anger and drama to the mix.

    ANYWAY...
    I doubt if any government in the region would intervene on it's own. You would probably need a coalition to share the costs, effort, and most important, provide legitimacy. But we've seem how dysfunctional the SA group can be through existing organizations (such as Mercosur).

    Hmm, relief through the UN? Possible, but I have a hard time picturing it. Cuba would probably volunteer to run any relief efforts, as long as the other UN countries pay for it. Oh, it would be so kind, (and predictable) of them.

    This whole Venezuelan situation is more like a Greek tragedy or a train wreck. You just can't turn away.

    Dec 29th, 2014 - 11:54 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • yankeeboy

    I want it to fail spectacularly. I want the Chavistas to suffer, to starve, to be in all out civil war, to see their Collectivist/Socialist/Communist dream die a horrible and bloody death.
    Maybe then they'll learn that stealing other peoples property doesn't ever work for long.

    I couldn't be happier.

    Dec 29th, 2014 - 01:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Conqueror

    Why is Snr Lopez calling for Latin America to get involved? Does he want to make matters worse. Let's see if we can identify one state that could 'intervene' with any chance of success. Chile? No chance. Cuba or argieland? A bit like asking a half-starved wolf to help a sheep. Uruguay, Panama, Costa Rico, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Dominican Republic. Insufficient resources and incompetent. Paraguay, Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua. Useless or worthless. Haiti. Pointless.

    There are only TWO countries in America capable of helping Venezuela. Canada and the United States. But only on proper conditions. Venezuelans have proved that they are incapable of running a country. Venezuela will need to be handed over. Martial law. The corrupt or criminal must be executed. Canada and the United States have proved that they can create countries out of uncivilised wildernesses. They'll probably ask the UK, with its experience of dragging peoples up to a semi-civilised state, to help. Finally, after 200 years of spanish wankers, Latin America might get a chance. Brits to create civilisation, Americans to kill, Canadians to bridge any gap. But without any divisive, incompetent French.

    Dec 29th, 2014 - 03:06 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • NativeAngeleno

    The greatest failure in Venezuela is that of the righting oligarchic mafioso to overthrow elected government, as is their global wont, aided and abetted by the corporate-controlled US and its dupes and liars commenting in support of them. The most basic good of all that has risen under the Chavistas is the rate of employment in Venezuela since Chavez, which of course the scum whining and lying about the endangerment of “basic rights” there could not givce a bleep about. MercoPress is plagued by these parasites. Lopez, the subject of this piece, of course extolled, naturally, in the Wall Street Journal, is part of that stinking ilk. The government they would all like to see installed in the place of Maduro's is essentially the 20th century redux, the rape and plunder of the rights of the vast majority of Venezuelans for their own piratical private profit. They insist on returning the profits from oil from the many to the few, and to grease those skids dupes and liars post in disregard of the relatively VASTLY improved state of the Venezuelan majority from the dictatorial state their preferred pigs want control of again.

    Dec 29th, 2014 - 06:48 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Briton

    Actually in this day and age of corrupt human rights lawyers, and the compensation culture of paying for past mistakes,
    I am greatly surprised that Venezuela, and others have not taken SPAIN to court and blame them for the present state of some south America countries today,

    laugh as you will,
    but give it time, give it time,

    Dec 29th, 2014 - 06:55 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Hoz248

    In response to nativeangeleno.......wow...troll.....chavista economic reasoning I think...everyone steals but them..:)..Nearly 1.9 trillion. ..Trillion!!!!US dollars in 15 years..in a country of 30 million...wow...that's alot of missing cash..:).....you could compare Dubai to caracas...I wonder what their doing over there to be so much more prosperous. ..lol

    Dec 29th, 2014 - 07:22 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Jack Bauer

    @8 Hoz248
    NativeAngeleno is the typical, blind, radical type of scum that supports the Bolivarian socialism. Even as the lights go out in VZ, he defends their bankrupt system. You get idiots just like him everywhere, including Brazil. All expecting something for nothing. Dilma is driving Brazil into the ground, as Maduro is doing wth VZ, yet there is always some asshole ready to defend them. Suppose VZ will literally have to implode before they wake up.

    Dec 29th, 2014 - 09:38 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • HawaiianNeal

    @NativeAngeleno I think we'd just like to see someone in charge with greater than a 6th grade education and preferably not a Colombian like Maduro.

    Dec 29th, 2014 - 10:06 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • yankeeboy

    6. Is that post a joke? Its hard to tell but it must be. Nobody is that stupid.

    Dec 29th, 2014 - 10:08 pm - Link - Report abuse 0
  • HawaiianNeal

    To which post do you refer?

    Dec 30th, 2014 - 12:14 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Hoz248

    I apologize for my post earlier. .I read something here that made me angry..very angry...
    To clarify. ..PDVSA converted more than 1.8 T in hard cash into vapor...look in Miami..Buenos Aires. .Spain..Manhattan..you will find it...along with at least 1500 registered private jets....oh...
    like Fidel says..“ Everything in the revolution good..anything opposed..Bad”...he has a knew name. ..The bearded mummy...lmfao....like Hugo..they wI'll tell you when he dies..:)...

    Dec 30th, 2014 - 01:38 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • HawaiianNeal

    @yankeeboy.... never mind, I figured it out. :)

    Dec 30th, 2014 - 02:36 am - Link - Report abuse 0
  • Skip

    “a Colombian like Maduro”

    Venezuela wished it had a government like Colombia.

    Dec 30th, 2014 - 06:58 am - Link - Report abuse 0

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