Venezuelan Journalist Talks Toilet Paper, Oil and the Limits of Presidential Powe

The collapse in the price of oil has changed everything. GDP is falling like a stone, consumer prices from inflation have increased dramatically, as have shortages in essential goods, (see toilet paper below) and unemployment is climbing. The country has become ever more authoritarian, crushing dissent in increasingly desperate attempts to hold on to power. Venezuela and its leader Nicolas Maduro, who is highly unpopular, face hard choices ahead. This week South America correspondent for Fusion, Manuel Rueda, finishes our thoughts about Venezuela’s downward spiral. More…