When you think of humanitarian crises, they’re usually caused by war or some natural disaster like a drought or earthquake.
But in Venezuela today millions of people face shortages of food and medicines for a different reason: the spectacular mismanagement of its economy.
By one estimate, Venezuelans spend an average of 35 hours a month standing in lines to buy food. All of this has led to huge protests against President NicolásMaduro’s government and an effort by the opposition to recall him from office.
On this edition of Global Journalist, a look at the escalating crisis in Venezuela.
Joining the program:
- John Otis, a Latin America correspondent for NPR
- Patrick Duddy, a former U.S. ambassador to Venezuela and director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at Duke University
- Jennifer Cyr, a professor of government and Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona
- Gabriel Hetland, a professor of Latin American Studies at SUNY-Albany who has written about Venezuela for The Nation.
Note: This program is available in audio only.
