Why The Left Refuses To Talk About Venezuela

The only possible answer, the left assumes, must be sabotage by capitalists or — as the Pope reminds us — too much “individualism.” The problem the global left has in this case, though, is that this narrative simply isn’t plausible. Does Colombia have fewer capitalists and individualists than Venezeuala? It almost certainly has more. So why do Venezuelans wait hours in line to cross the Colombian border to buy basic food items not available in the social-democratic paradise of Venezuela? Has Chile renounced neoliberal-style trade and markets? Obviously not. So why has Chile’s economy grown by 150 percent over the past 25 years while Venezuela’s economy has gotten smaller? More…