Venezuela: Political Confrontation and the World Community

The paper examines a complex web of domestic and external issues which have both provoked a systemic crisis in Venezuela and, at the same time, determined its specificity in comparison with the wave of protests sweeping across Latin America in 2019.The authors conclude that the escalation of the confl...

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Main Authors: Z. W. Iwanowski, D. M. Rozental
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Moscow University Press 2020-11-01
Series:Вестник Московского Университета. Серия XXV: Международные отношения и мировая политика
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Online Access:https://fmp.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/43
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author Z. W. Iwanowski
D. M. Rozental
author_facet Z. W. Iwanowski
D. M. Rozental
author_sort Z. W. Iwanowski
collection DOAJ
description The paper examines a complex web of domestic and external issues which have both provoked a systemic crisis in Venezuela and, at the same time, determined its specificity in comparison with the wave of protests sweeping across Latin America in 2019.The authors conclude that the escalation of the conflict in Venezuela was caused not only by the standoff between the legislative and the executive branches of the government, but also by the split of the whole society into proponents and opponents of ‘socialism of the 21st century’. The contradictions have led to the formation of the parallel branches of power: two presidents, two parliaments and two supreme courts (one of them in exile) which de facto coexist in the country and each claims exclusive rights and legitimacy.The authors also stress that the situation in Venezuela has obvious regional consequences. The miscalculations of the incumbent president were used in election campaigns in other Latin American countries and became one of the reasons for the defeat of left candidates, the subsequent ‘right drift’ leading to the isolation of the republic. The new political landscape has also affected the architecture of integration associations, which failed to develop a unified position toward the Bolivarian regime.Furthermore, in a current heightened state of international tensions Venezuela has turned into a theatre of international rivalry and conflict involving all the key subjects of world politics. The United States, China, Russia and the European Union compete for the energy resources of the country and pursue their own strategic interests. The inability or unwillingness of external forces to reach compromise and to bring the parties to the negotiating table can pose a threat to peace and international security.As a result, Venezuela has become one of the most turbulent countries in the region. At the same time, the repeated outbursts of protest waves are significantly different from popular uprisings in other Latin American states. In the worst-case scenario, a constantly worsening situation may result in a social explosion which threatens to make the Bolivarian Republic another hot spot of the planet.
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spelling doaj-art-dfde8224c776496da46cd17e26587b4c2025-02-02T11:10:31ZengMoscow University PressВестник Московского Университета. Серия XXV: Международные отношения и мировая политика2076-74042020-11-011227111110.48015/2076-7404-2020-12-2-71-11142Venezuela: Political Confrontation and the World CommunityZ. W. Iwanowski0D. M. Rozental1Institute of Latin American Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences; Lomonosov Moscow State UniversityInstitute of Latin American Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences; Higher School of Economics National Research UniversityThe paper examines a complex web of domestic and external issues which have both provoked a systemic crisis in Venezuela and, at the same time, determined its specificity in comparison with the wave of protests sweeping across Latin America in 2019.The authors conclude that the escalation of the conflict in Venezuela was caused not only by the standoff between the legislative and the executive branches of the government, but also by the split of the whole society into proponents and opponents of ‘socialism of the 21st century’. The contradictions have led to the formation of the parallel branches of power: two presidents, two parliaments and two supreme courts (one of them in exile) which de facto coexist in the country and each claims exclusive rights and legitimacy.The authors also stress that the situation in Venezuela has obvious regional consequences. The miscalculations of the incumbent president were used in election campaigns in other Latin American countries and became one of the reasons for the defeat of left candidates, the subsequent ‘right drift’ leading to the isolation of the republic. The new political landscape has also affected the architecture of integration associations, which failed to develop a unified position toward the Bolivarian regime.Furthermore, in a current heightened state of international tensions Venezuela has turned into a theatre of international rivalry and conflict involving all the key subjects of world politics. The United States, China, Russia and the European Union compete for the energy resources of the country and pursue their own strategic interests. The inability or unwillingness of external forces to reach compromise and to bring the parties to the negotiating table can pose a threat to peace and international security.As a result, Venezuela has become one of the most turbulent countries in the region. At the same time, the repeated outbursts of protest waves are significantly different from popular uprisings in other Latin American states. In the worst-case scenario, a constantly worsening situation may result in a social explosion which threatens to make the Bolivarian Republic another hot spot of the planet.https://fmp.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/43venezuelapolitical conflictsnicolas madurochavismjuan guaido‘left turn’‘right drift’integration processessocial proteststhe united statesthe prcthe russian federationthe european unionturkeyindia
spellingShingle Z. W. Iwanowski
D. M. Rozental
Venezuela: Political Confrontation and the World Community
Вестник Московского Университета. Серия XXV: Международные отношения и мировая политика
venezuela
political conflicts
nicolas maduro
chavism
juan guaido
‘left turn’
‘right drift’
integration processes
social protests
the united states
the prc
the russian federation
the european union
turkey
india
title Venezuela: Political Confrontation and the World Community
title_full Venezuela: Political Confrontation and the World Community
title_fullStr Venezuela: Political Confrontation and the World Community
title_full_unstemmed Venezuela: Political Confrontation and the World Community
title_short Venezuela: Political Confrontation and the World Community
title_sort venezuela political confrontation and the world community
topic venezuela
political conflicts
nicolas maduro
chavism
juan guaido
‘left turn’
‘right drift’
integration processes
social protests
the united states
the prc
the russian federation
the european union
turkey
india
url https://fmp.elpub.ru/jour/article/view/43
work_keys_str_mv AT zwiwanowski venezuelapoliticalconfrontationandtheworldcommunity
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