Many multinational companies found in office buildings and construction sites in Caracas a nice place to park their bolivars and construction companies borrowed to meet that demand. Now the music stopped, banks are not giving money away anymore and those companies now own empty, useless office space.
Daily Briefing
From Soup to Stew
Your daily briefing for Thursday, May 24, 2018. Translated by Javier Liendo.
On ‘Election Day’, Nobody Voted Because The Candidates Sucked
These are the reasons why I have a problem with Mr. Toro’s assessment of the non-election election.
Tougher U.S. Sanctions on Venezuela: An Escalating Crisis
The White House is getting tougher on Nicolás Maduro and his allies. But why did they take so long? A new article gives us a look on how U.S. policy on Venezuela is starting to change.
How to Fix a Humanitarian Crisis If Nobody Dares To Call...
The debate over whether to openly call what is happening in Venezuela a “crisis” seems to be maturing. Even the Venezuelan government, albeit timidly, is starting to recognize it as one: They did so a couple of weeks ago in Washington, DC.
How Chavismo Makes the Water Taps Run Dry
The water taps are dry and it’s chavismo’s fault, says The Economist.
Trump Tightens Financial Sanctions on Maduro Regime: What Does it Mean?
With an Executive Order signed yesterday by Donald Trump, the U.S. government limits Maduro’s abilities to save himself and the rest of chavismo from the financial crisis they’re in.
On ‘Election’ Day, Nobody Voted Because Nobody was Voting
Carlos Hernández paints a vivid picture of “election” day in Ciudad Guayana —a day when even people who kind of wanted to vote didn’t, because there were no lines.
DGCIM Plays the Gestapo Game Like They Invented It
The government needs to make it seem like they’re doing something to solve the crisis they generated or win the war they invented, but they don’t just arrest the people who are allegedly guilty. They come for their family members to bait them.
Breaking News: Donald Trump Signs New Executive Order That Prohibits Further...
The new Executive Order blocks the Venezuelan government’s international financial options even further.
Previous Briefings
Reelected and irrelevant
Your daily briefing for Wednesday, May 23, 2018. Translated by Javier Liendo.
Materializing rejection
Your daily briefing for Tuesday, May 22, 2018. Translated by Javier Liendo.
Following the script
Your daily briefing for Monday, May 21, 2018. Translated by Javier Liendo.
Previous Posts
May 20 ‘Election’: No Surprises, Lots of Questions
Chavismo once again manipulated the rules of fair and competitive elections. The runner-ups were the only ones surprised, everyone else prepares for what’s next.
Live-Blogging 20M
We partnered with ODH to bring you a complete coverage of the 20M (un)election. Check out the news monitoring service ODH offers in odhgc.com.
How Much Does it Cost to Advertise a Fake Election?
The government knows where to invest the dollars they haven’t stolen yet, they are campaigning on social media with money they should be investing in fixing the crisis. Spoiler alert: the amount of zeros is enraging.
This Isn’t AdWars: Why I’m Not Even Bothering with this ‘Campaign’
The May 20 “election” campaign has been received with indifference and even rejection among many Venezuelans. One possible reason is the lack of engaging messages from the candidates.
No Disney for Diosdado
It wasn’t clear why Diosdado had never been sanctioned, but the day has come.
Journalist Anatoly Kurmanaev Opens Up about Venezuela in Stanford Conference
“Like the state of the economy, politics, the environment (think ‘Arco Minero’), situation of indigenous peoples, the living conditions of the average Venezuelan, the state of Venezuelan journalism is also dire, and getting worse.”
I Want to Vote White
A white vote, not to be confused with the adeco “white”, would allow Venezuelans to bring the protests to the ballot box. It’s proactive and sends a clear message.
Elders Left Behind: Invisible Victims of Venezuelan Migration
Young people flee the country, but senior citizens have to remain behind to fight helplessly, and often alone, against a pervasive crisis.
The Thing Everyone Seems to Agree On: Elections in Venezuela are...
Some things are axiomatic truths. The sun rises in the East. Tequeños are not mozzarella sticks. Elections in Venezuela are rigged.
Gregory Sanabria Wounded in El Helicoide, Other Political Prisoners Revolt
In today’s shocking plot-twist, the SEBIN’s infamous dungeon has been taken over by its political prisoners. The image isn’t quite clear yet, but we present you what we know.
HBO’s Last Week Tonight Tackles the Venezuelan Crisis
HBO’s Last Week Tonight with John Oliver focused on the Venezuelan crisis. Far from perfect, at least it’s a good introduction to Maduro and his government.
We Buy Gold and Silver
Shops that buy gold and silver have prospered all around Caracas. People are selling their jewelry and family heirlooms to leave the country or when they’re too broke to repair their car.
Kellogg’s Flees Venezuela Too
American cereal-maker Kellogg’s announced that it would leave Venezuela, leaving hundreds without jobs and a void in our breakfasts.
No One Writes to Lieutenant Colonel Arias Cárdenas
There’s a power struggle within chavismo in Zulia State. It seems like it’s going to be former golpista, presidential candidate and governor Francisco Arias Cárdenas by himself, against the rest of them.
Will Increased International Pressure Help Venezuelan Migrants?
Now that Venezuelan migrants have become a problem for the entire region, especially neighboring countries like Brazil and Colombia, international organizations like UNHCR and World Food Program are trying to find ways to help Venezuelans who fled the country.
Javier Bertucci Finds his Flock
The sudden momentum behind Javier Bertucci, the evangelical preacher turned candidate, has caught everyone by surprise. It has to be a miracle, we can’t explain this.
Prediction: On May 21, Henri Falcón Will Blame Us
Henri Falcón is campaigning, even though he had been warned. It won’t make a difference because chavismo chose him to lose the election and he let them. It will be his fault, but he’ll try to blame us.
Armando Reverón: Macuto, Juanita, Light and Nothingness
To honor celebrated Venezuelan painter Armando Reverón on his birthday, we review what has been said about his character, his legacy and his work.
Mike Pence Condemns the Venezuelan Crisis in an OAS Permanent Council...
In a special session this week, Mike Pence’s remarks on the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela became the strongest statement ever issued by an official in the region.
Without the Goat and Without the Rope: The Opposition Braces for...
My unified theory of May 20th: the government had a pathetically easy time engineering what has become a poisonous, pus-oozing split at the heart of Venezuela's opposition.
The Global Fund Should Move Boldly to Help Venezuelans
The Global Fund should not overlook Venezuela in their board meeting this week.
The Parallel’s Parallel Turned Upside Down and We Can Only Look...
Strange things are happening in Venezuela’s parallel foreign exchange market. We delve into the dark depths of bolivar-dollar unregulated trading to understand what’s going on.
Banesco Intervention Popped A Bubble: Our Financial System is Completely Destroyed
Chavismo’s hostile Banesco intervention causes more damage than people detained and distressed customers: It reveals just how the government really screwed up our economy.
Who Are The ‘Candidates’ Running for the May 20 ‘Elections’?
The May 20 "elections" are 14 days away. We start the official countdown with an introduction. The bad, the worst, the come on, seriously? and the who are you again?
The Road Home Is Paved with Awful Buses and Military Checkpoints
What do you get when you combine an acute shortage of car replacement parts and military control? Pretty awful bus rides, it turns out.
Nobody in Zulia Will Read This With Their Blackout Curse
In addition to being an inconvenience considering the scorching Maracaibo weather, blackouts and the electric crisis affect each “maracucho” differently.
El País’ Maduro Op-ed and Their ‘Balanced’ Coverage Fool Nobody
The Maduro op-ed on Spanish paper El País almost made him sound democratic and kind. We wonder how much he paid for that page and if El País’ ethics were sold separately.
The Government (Finally) Goes After Banesco
After years of veiled threats against Venezuela’s largest bank, 11 Banesco executives were arrested and now face the uncertain.
Once the Safest Bet Against Hyperinflation, Real Estate Loses Value
Even though middle-class Caraqueños tried to protect their savings with residential real estate, their year-to-year value dropped dramatically in 2017, leaving them helpless against inflation.
Just In: The IMF Censures Venezuela for Not Providing Economic Data
Chavismo blatantly disregarded the constitution when it failed to provide economic data to Venezuelans and to the IMF. They had been warned and, as always, they didn’t care.
Frente Amplio (MUD Reloaded) Protest Unmasks How Weak It Is
Some say the Frente Amplio Nacional is just the MUD hidden under a new acronym. The protest this Friday proved they’re both equally weak and disconnected from people’s struggles and needs.
Nobody Wants to Work For this ‘Gobierno Obrero’
Why show up if you’ll be underpaid and blackmailed into proclaiming allegiance to the revolution. It’s easier to demand food from the "Gobierno Obrero" that wants workers to remain poor.
World Immunization Week Ends Sans Vaccines or Sensible Policy
Venezuela is a monument of all the reasons why vaccination should be a top priority for every health system and the unimaginable things that can happen when it isn’t. When it comes to health, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Medical Residents Save Lives and Operate While Hungry
Medical residents stand for 11 hours straight in an operating room saving lives. Sometimes, they have to do that on an empty stomach.
‘El Pueblo’ Gets to Miraflores in Anger, Demanding Water
Some of Maduro’s neighbors dropped by the Miraflores Presidential Palace asking for some water, reaching where no MUD protest dared to go before.
Maduro, Have You Heard of the International Criminal Court?
It seems the National Assembly won’t be able to trial Maduro, after all. Enter the International Criminal Court, the little court that could.
1957 Redux Deluxe
In 2015, we published a piece about an authoritarian regime about to collapse after rigging a vote. It was the political landscape of 1957, that looked a lot like 2015… and a lot like today.
La Resistencia Took to the Streets and Had To Stay There
An unexpected conversation with a forgotten member of society takes a poignant turn, and we learn what happened to our “guerreros de La Resistencia” once they went underground.
Chevron Managers Face Treason Charges for Refusing to Steal
The Marxism-Sadomasochism Era is here: Venezuela’s begun ailing the people it most needs. The revolution charged Chevron managers with treason, an unseen realm of wanton national self-immolation.
Doctors, Who Fight Tooth and Nail to Save Lives, Demand Dignified...
On Tuesday, April 17, doctors and health workers protested outside of hospitals all around the country to demand medical supplies and better wages that at least allow them to buy food.
The List of Political Prisoners Keeps Growing, and We’re All a...
The list of political prisoners keeps growing at alarming rates. Same illegal procedures and violations of due process, different victims.
Workers at Guayana’s Basic Industries Resign en Masse
Absenteeism is the new normal among Guayana’s once exemplary basic industries. Workers just don’t even bother anymore.
The Pseudo-TSJ Debacle Reveals Lack of Leadership and Strategy
The trial against Maduro by the TSJ in exile is a justice trainwreck – it’s technically not a ruling, because they are not the Supreme Tribunal. It speaks volumes about the lack of leadership and strategy within the opposition.
Unconstitutional Decrees from ANC and Maduro Regarding Shady Petro
The government’s erratic, irresponsible, frequently unconstitutional economic behavior had to extend all the way to its handling of their petro atrocity. What else could be expected?
Revisiting April 19th, 1810: The Path to Venezuelan Independence
Celebrated historian, writer and professor Rafael Arráiz Lucca sets the record straight about the events of April 19, 1810. The road to independence and freedom is never as clear (or easy) as we thought.
Explosive Lawsuit Exposes Corruption and Mafia Wars at PDVSA
The plot thickens in one of many PDVSA corruption “guisos”. The goose that had been laying whatever was left of our golden eggs was already being torn apart by rivaling mafias from the inside and is now in serious peril with a new corruption lawsuit.
We Gather Here Today to Mourn the Passing of DolarToday
For years, DolarToday.com was the dominant player in setting prices in bolivars for black market dollars. These last few weeks, confidence in DolarToday has caved-in, leaving a baffling free-for-all in its wake. For all practical purposes, DolarToday is dead. We eulogize it.
Using Corruption As an Excuse, Persecution Spree Hits Chevron
Reuters reports that two Chevron employees were arrested. The persecution of PDVSA employees due to alleged corruption hits an important joint venture partner of the State oil company.
