meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
The Dig

Alejandro Velasco: Explaining Venezuela’s crisis

The Dig

Daniel Denvir

News, Politics

4.81.7K Ratings

🗓️ 26 July 2017

⏱️ 54 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Hugo Chávez's rise to power inspired leftists around the world. But today, Venezuela is in a profound economic and political crisis. A huge decline in oil prices gutted the revenue stream that Venezuela depended on to bankroll its social spending. The government led by Chavez’s successor Nicolás Maduro is increasingly turning to repression in response to constant, and often violent, protests from the opposition. NYU historian and NACLA Executive Editor Alejandro Velasco explains what's happening in Venezuela, how it happened—and how the promise of the Bolivarian Revolution might still be salvaged. Thanks to our supporters at nacla.org, an unrivaled source for left-wing news on Latin America.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

This episode of The Dig is brought to you by the listeners who support us on Patreon and by NACLA.

0:05.2

Couldn't get enough of Jacobin's special issue on Latin America?

0:08.5

Go to NACLA.org.

0:12.4

NACLA.org.

0:13.1

NACLA is the oldest and most widely read progressive magazine covering the Americas.

0:18.5

Praised by Nome Chomsky and Salvadoriente,

0:22.5

vilified by Ronald Reagan,

0:25.7

and placed under FBI surveillance during the Cold War.

0:30.2

With resurgent right-wing governments on the rise across the hemisphere,

0:36.1

there's never been a more critical time to keep up to date with Latin American politics and social movements.

0:40.3

Subscribe to NACLA today and follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

0:47.3

NACLA, it really is, and this is a very personal endorsement here, the unrivaled best source for smart left-wing analysis on Latin America.

1:03.0

Thank you. Welcome to the DIG, a podcast from Jacobin Magazine. My name is Daniel Denver, and I'm broadcasting from Providence, Rhode Island.

1:08.0

This segment of our series on Latin American politics is about Venezuela.

1:13.0

Hugo Chavez's rise to power inspired leftists around the world. But today, Venezuela is being

1:19.4

rocked by severe economic and political crises. A huge decline in oil prices gutted the

1:25.5

revenue stream that Venezuela depended on to bankroll

1:28.6

at social spending. Chavez's successor, Nicolas Maduro, is now increasingly turning to violent

1:35.2

repression in response to constant and often violent protests from the opposition. For the left,

1:41.9

inside Venezuela and out, what to make of the Bolivarian Revolution and the disastrous

1:46.9

current state of affairs in the country is a complicated matter that urgently needs to be

1:52.0

analyzed, discussed, and debated. I'm going to keep this intro short because I have far more

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Daniel Denvir, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Daniel Denvir and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.