As you’ve probably heard, a corrupt authoritarian president has been destroying his country for over a decade—and as of this weekend, he decided to invade Venezuela. But just who is this political criminal?
If you’re just catching up, here’s what you should know: He’s a despotic demagogue who has abandoned the working class, stifled political dissent and organized labor, threatened to jail political opponents, and abused state power to no end. His country may very well be on the brink of social and economic collapse, but in recent months, he turned his focus to bombing little boats in the Caribbean.
You might be thinking, Wait, how is this guy in power at all? Well, he narrowly won his first election after a campaign in which he claimed he could shoot people in public with impunity. He left office briefly after losing his bid for a second term, but not before attempting to overturn a free and fair election and encouraging a mob to murder his own vice president. He eventually returned to power and has hinted that he will never relinquish his iron grip on a country that, by and large, has come to despise him. Now, in a not-so-subtle attempt to take over foreign oil reserves, he has plunged his country into a new, violent quagmire in South America.
Why haven’t I heard this guy described this way before? Probably because he has systematically oppressed independent media and sowed distrust in journalism. Even now, his administration is attempting to paint its international incursion and kidnapping of a foreign leader as a necessary justice for narcotics trafficking—at the same time that he’s pardoned other politicians for the same crimes.
What about his wife and their sons? They are just a few examples of how frequently this cabal has placed family members and business associates in positions of power, a tradition of nepotism rooted in greed. Their thirst for riches and status knows no bounds, as evidenced by a cryptocurrency they launched that swindled supporters—and the country’s economy at large—out of money. Now, they’ve gone a step further: They want to personally run the entire country of Venezuela.
So… what can we do about it? Not to worry, he’s promised all this won’t affect you, just so long as you keep your head down, do what he says, and be very rich. For more on the totalitarian ruler who is destroying the lives of regular, everyday people in his own country, read our report about his yet-to-be-announced invasions of Mexico, Cuba, Colombia, Greenland, and maybe even Canada.
