The fall in oil prices in 2014 has led to two major issues in Venezuela today, the economic decline and erosion of democratic institutions. Primarily, the fall in prices of oil has affected the delivery of common goods to the people. Additionally, in the past four years, Venezuela’s foreign currency reserves have been on a steady decline, which has made it nearly impossible for the import dependent country to obtain products, and for the government to process the debts incurred. This inability to pay back debts to other countries such as the US, will soon lead to a diminished economy in Venezuela. Contributing to this downfall in the economy is the deflation of currency, the raise in prices of common goods, so high that obtaining them is nearly impossible for the citizens (Humanitarian Overview). Along with this economic despair, there is political turmoil going on. About a year ago, there was an election of a Constituent Assembly, which in short has taken over the governmental assemblies, and is committed to try the citizens who took part in protests for treason. The president, Maduro, is using his power to “correct” the state, but in turn is creating more damage that is not being fixed. It has become more complicated for opposers of Maduro’s powerful regime to make an effort because they are experiencing a divide in their proposed solutions. Some of these members wish to advocate a solution to better the current government, where others wish to put an end to the current government structure. It is clear that with different motives, it becomes more complicated to tackle an issue, and introduces a new category of issues, that diverts attention from the larger problem of over exercised power.
The economic and political issues in Venezuela have led to the increase in humanitarian needs, such as the need for food, health care, and nutrition assistance (Venezuela Regional Crisis). The current unhealthy living situations and rise in violence in the area are two threatening factors which are forcing citizens to abandon their homes to nearby countries including Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru. It is important to acknowledge that the influx of people in these neighboring countries poses a challenge for the home country to help support the refugees. In addition to these countries providing shelter and relief, the United States is playing a major role in the humanitarian aid sector of this crisis.
In 2018, the vice president of the United States, Michael R. Pence announced more than $48 million in additional U.S. Government funding to support Venezuela regional crisis humanitarian response activities. This funding is distributed to many areas, including the many countries experiencing a secondary impact from the crisis in Venezuela. A significant amount of aid is delivered to Colombia, as it shares a border with Venezuela, to improve the health and nutrition of the individuals who fled Venezuela, and support those in Colombia who were vulnerable to the situation in Venezuela (Venezuela Regional Crisis). Additionally under this umbrella of funding is the amount that goes toward supporting NGOs, the organizations who are providing humanitarian assistance to Venezuelans in the country, and to surrounding countries that they have escaped to. Specifically, UNICEF has been given large donations to maintain educational systems that will support the influx of children into the country. It is important that the educational systems are able to facilitate the children refugees so that they have an equal educational opportunity and do not become dormant to the unfortunate unrest in their home country.
In addition to welcoming Venezuelan citizens, local NGOs in Colombia are helping concurrently with the United States to provide relief to those who have escaped to Colombia, yet still reside without basic necessities. This aid generally includes basic first aid, blankets, food, and personal hygiene supplies. Additionally, these NGOs are helping to facilitate the migration from Venezuela to Colombia. Aside from the basic needs of the Venezuelans, aid relief organizations are implementing procedures to acclimate refugees to a new society. Especially interesting, is the implementation of a livelihood improvement program, which provides activities for those in need to develop and implement business plans to promote a source of income for these individuals. To me, this is an extremely beneficial addition to the basic humanitarian aid, as it guides the affected individuals in becoming a valued member of society, through assisting them to their ability to provide for themselves (Venezuela Regional Crisis).
It is manipulative of the Venezuelan president when he declares that nothing is wrong, in an attempt to conceal issues to keep out foreign intervention. To the people, he will not admit the full tragedy occurring and his rejection of many outreaches of humanitarian aid. A government lying to its citizens, when it is clear there is something wrong, is one large mistake that will eventually spark an uprising against the power holder (Kyrgier). As a developed country, experienced in supporting lesser developed countries in similar situations, the United States has been compelled to support the people being lied to in Venezuela and “establish concrete steps” and “clear actions” for change (Rampton). It is important to note that leaders in the United States, such as Trump and Pence, are supporting and helping to “empower” the opposition leader in Venezuela, Juan Gaudio, which is an effective approach in entering the situation. Many times, foreign intervention is forced, and there is no compliance with the people in the affected country, creating a negative image of the global northerners (SOC 376: 2/11).
To conclude, the humanitarian crisis in the South American country, Venezuela, has been growing for years, with declines in several sectors such as the economy and the health and wellbeing of people. The leader in opposition to this powerful regime, whom Trump refers to as the interim president, Juan Gaudio, is supporting the people of Venezuela to fight for liberation from Maduro. The policies of Maduro have gotten out of hand, resulting in locals unable to access basic needs for living, which is almost as bad as the government taking away the people’s basic rights. Moving forward, citizens can leave the state of crisis and create a new life in the neighboring countries, like many have done, however it has been recognized that this begins to create societal challenges for the mothering countries. So, it is crucial to look at what can be done to resolve the situations for the long run, as permanent relocation is still avoiding the main issue. With the assistance of leading world powers, such as the United States, and it’s strategic relationships with the bordering countries of Venezuela, refugees can continue to be properly situated and supported, while the Maduro regime can be tackled, and eventually have a country to rebuild with proper planning and assistance (Restrepo).
Visually, how big the crisis is:
Works Cited:
“Humanitarian Overview: An Analysis of Key Crises into 2018”. https://www.acaps.org/sites/acaps/files/products/files/acaps_humanitarian_overview_analysis_of_key_crises_into_2018.pdf
Krygier, Rachelle. “A humanitarian crisis in Venezuela? Nothing to see here, government says”. Washington Post. Oct.13, 2018. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/a-humanitarian-crisis-in-venezuela-nothing-to-see-here-government-says/2018/10/12/6ebd1aa6-c2ac-11e8-9451-e878f96be19b_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.4c8b0a21ac31
Rampton, Roberta. “U.S. to Announce ‘Concrete Steps’ for Venezuela Crisis on Monday: Official”. USNews. Feb. 24, 2019.
Restrepo, Dan. “Venezuela in Crisis: A Way Forward”. Center For American Progress. Oct. 16, 2018. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/security/reports/2018/10/16/459352/venezuela-crisis-way-forward/
SOC 376: “Being/Becoming a Global Citizen” (SOC 376: 2/11)
“Venezuela Regional Crisis”. USAID. Feb 22, 2019. https://www.usaid.gov/crisis/venezuela-regional
5 Comments
You did a really great job of explaining what is happening in Venezuela. The dynamic/difference between the UN and Trump’s involvement is interesting because the UN is firm in their approach not to get involved in politics. A good friend of mine moved from Venezuela to the United States and has almost no family or friends left. It’s very sad that not many people know what is happening.
I had not known anything about the Venezuelan humanitarian crisis prior to reading your blog post. You explained the situation very well and gave a good overview of what is currently going on. It is interesting how Columbia and Venezuela are so intertwined with their humanitarian aid, that is something I did not realize. It is good that NGOs in Columbia are trying to get involved and help the citizens in Venezuela.
I also didn’t know much about the Venezuela crisis, before hearing from you in class. There are two points I especially agreed with in your post: the first being that smaller issues are too often used as distractions from a more serious underlying problem. The second being that there is an attainable settlement solution here if the governments are willing to work towards such. Your comment concerning the power of the Venezuela administration is also incredibly important to keep in mind, because I believe that if with some incentive the government can reorient their efforts towards a common good, the refugee problem could be handled relatively quickly. This of course would require some considerable convincing of the benefits that would come.
I think it is important that you start with discussing oil because it does have a global impact and especially because of the impact it has had on the Venezuelan population. I have known a lot of people who have family in Venezuela and have talked about how difficult it has been for them to even get access to basic things like food due to the ridiculous inflation that has been impacting the country for a while now. I am also glad that you addressed the repercussions of the crisis especially in regards to the refugee crisis that it has now created that your image illustrates well. I am happy to hear that NGOs are hard at work making sure that refugees are being taken care of and that the education of the children is a priority, but along with this comes the massive amount of money that the US has donated. I am suspicious about if this money is truly altruistic or if it comes with strings such as political favors or increased access to oil…
I didn’t know a lot about the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela prior to reading your article and I thought it was really interesting. The response of the government of Venezuela is similar to that of Nigeria. Both attempt to keep out foreign aid and refuse to acknowledge the severity of the problem on their hands. I did not realize the severity of the situation here and that there are so many people affected by this. Your graphic also went along really well with your article and I thought it was interesting that Spain was one of the top places that people tend to flee to.