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Northwestern University / Foreign Policy magazine
Daniel Lansberg-Rodriguez is an adjunct lecturer at Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and a regular contributor to Foreign Policy magazine.
PROFILE
Daniel Lansberg-Rodríguez
Guest
FROM Daniel Lansberg-Rodríguez
To the Point
Venezuela in a major crisis: Are sanctions going to help? After months of deadly protest over living conditions and human rights abuses, President Nicolas Maduro is accused of running a phony election. Official results from Sunday's voting replaced the previous general assembly with a new one subject to his total control. President Trump has increased individual sanctions against Maduro and other powerful figures — and there's talk of interfering with the vital oil economy. Would that fend off a potential dictatorship — or give Maduro the scapegoat he needs -- possibly leading to civil war?
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
How close is Venezuela to collapsing? Things are going from bad to worse in Venezuela: A sham election over the weekend, sanctions by the U.S. yesterday, and now leaders of the opposition are under arrest.
To the Point
Is there a way out for Venezuela? Venezuela sits atop the world's largest oil reserves but you wouldn't know it if you visited the country today. The country today seems on the verge of civil war. President Nicolas Maduro's repressive government has turned Venezuela into a kleptocracy, with people facing violence, organized crime and food shortages. This has led to mass demonstrations. A thousand people have been injured and eighty have died in the protests on the country's streets over the last two months. The descent into potential chaos has become an increasingly complex challenge for the international community. We take an in-depth look at the Venezuelan crisis.
To the Point
Are Venezuela's troubles the legacy of populism? Twenty years ago, the late Hugo Chavez promised to save democracy in Venezuela. Today, Venezuela is moving toward a dictatorship, with the opposition divided against authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro. Late last year there were massive street protests, and this weekend the Supreme Court stripped the legislature of its power. When the rest of the world took notice, that ruling was mostly reversed -- but economic depression continues, and the government refuses food or medical aid. We hear what life is like in the nation with the world’s largest oil reserves -- and hear a debate about how it got that way.
To the Point
Chronic Food Shortages Prompt Riots in Venezuela Venezuela’s worsening economic crisis has spilled over into chaos in recent weeks. Hungry protestors have been rioting, ransacking and looting stores and restaurants, leaving scores of businesses in shambles and at least five people dead. The government has declared a state of emergency, and basic necessities are being rationed. How did a relatively recently prosperous country which sits on the world’s largest oil reserves come to this -- the world’s worst rate of inflation and nearly 90% of its population unable to afford to eat?
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To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.