Venezuela’s border crackdown: Anti-smuggling operation or political theater?

On Monday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro closed yet another border crossing into Colombia, escalating a crisis that has left frustrated travelers stranded, wreaked havoc with the regional economy, and sent thousands of Colombian immigrants fleeing before they can be deported. President Maduro calls it a necessary anti-smuggling offensive, but some international critics allege the crisis was "manufactured" to distract Venezuelans from their disastrous economy as elections approach. Maduro has offered several explanations for declaring a state of emergency on August 21, including suspicions of neighboring Colombia and the struggling Venezuelan economy, whose soaring inflation has put basic goods out of most citizens’ reach. Some 30 percent of families reported eating two or fewer meals a day in the spring and summer.  More…