State failure is a term that no modern state would want to be associated with. But unfortunately, there are many states in history, and in the present times, that are considered failed states. To be a failed state, they are not able to fulfil the basic tasks of the modern state, and are so weak that their political structures collapse, leading to anarchy and violence. A state must be able to defend their territory, make and enforce rules, give rights to citizens, collect taxes, manage the economy, and provide and maintain infrastructure. The point where many states fall is in the difference between a weak state, and a failed one, as weak states have not resulted in anarchy yet. But the citizens of these states are the ones that are affected the most, as they are no longer able to safely live their lives and sometimes, cannot sustain proper means of survival. In this case, Venezuela fits the criteria of a weak state, but they are on the brink of becoming a failed one.
Venezuela was on the rise until
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According to the article, from September 2014 to September 2015, the economy had fallen 7.1% and inflation rose 141.5%. This is not the worst of it either, as it is predicted that inflation will rise to 720% this year and the economy will contract by 10%. The ability for a state to maintain their economy is perhaps the most crucial task, because without money, the state has no ability to protect people, resources, and territory. They are currently in a 20% deficit to their GDP, and their liquid international reserves have fallen to 1.5 billion dollars. The importance of money to a state cannot be overlooked, as it controls all aspects of daily life for the people. In the last year, real-wages fell 35%, and upwards of 76% of Venezuelans are now poor, according to the article, which also says that only 55% were considered poor in
The people in Venezuela are starving and dying because they don't have food. Venezuela is struggling with shortages of food,and medicine. Venezuela’s economy mostly depends on their oil.Oil prices have dropped and that has affected Venezuela. The food crisis is bad because in grocery stores there is no food so there is specific days people have to line up. In the text from the website it states “Venezuelans are bearing the brunt of the economy's problems. The government can't pay to import basic food items like milk, flour and eggs, leaving many supermarkets with empty shelves.” This quote shows that Venezuela is struggling with food and with money and the government doesn't do much to help their
Historically, Venezuela has been a considerably rich country. For instance, in the work of Cannon (2008), it is noted that Venezuela was among the richest countries in the world. All citizens experienced this richness because the population in late 18th Century and early 19th Century was considerably small. The country made an effort to buy slaves from Africa leading to over 100,000 slaves entering Venezuela. The population increased but these slaves were humiliated and stigmatized. As the population increased, the number of Venezuelans living in abject poverty increased rapidly. A large majority of income from oil and natural gas among other vast resources that Venezuela holds remained in the hands of a select few. By the end of the colonial rule, Venezuela had over 60 % of the population being Africans and an additional 25 % being from America (Cannon 2008, 735). Out of the 25 % Americans, an estimated 90 % were suspected to be of African descent. The per capita income has been historically high prior to 1992. However, Venezuela experienced a sharp decline in per capita income following the failed coup attempt by Hugo Chávez due to dwindling income to the populace. Cannon records that per capita income fell by almost half, from US $ 5192 to US $ 2858. On the other hand, human development index was noted to have fallen to 0.7046 from 0.8210 between 1990 and 1997. These challenges in economy led to Chávez’s election in 1998.
Just like a corporation issues shares of stock to function as a productive entity, a country has to issue currency in order to fund its operations. This currency is the lifeblood of a nation, creating wealth for its citizens by fostering economic development and providing public infrastructure and services. In a true democracy, the government is owned by the citizens and operated by representatives of the population as a whole, who control and more importantly regulate the issuance of this currency. This is a critical point to remember.
Since the 1970s, Venezuela has gone from being South America’s richest nation into a nouveau-poor society in search of an identity. Once known as the Saudis of the West, Venezuelans have seen their economic fortunes decline in exact proportion to the general fall in world oil prices. Even so, Venezuela’s many problems were hidden from view until relatively recently, when severity measures heralded the sort of economic crises so painfully familiar to other Latin American countries. Runaway inflation, currency devaluations and even food riots have marked this new phase in Venezuelan history, to which the country is still trying to adjust.
Glusing, Jens. "Venezuela President Maduro Faces Economic Distress and Protests." SPIEGEL ONLINE. Der Spiegel, 26 Feb. 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2014.
...ns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD., and also a Senior Fellow and Director of the Troubled Currencies Project at the Cato Institute in Washington,D.C. offers on this article a synopsis about Venezuela’s economic. Steve Claims Venezuela’s downward economic spiral began in earnest when Hugo Chavez imposed his “unique” brand of socialism on Venezuela. For years, the country has sustained a massive social spending program, combined with costly price and labor-market controls, as well as an aggressive foreign aid strategy. This fiscal house of cards has been kept afloat barely by oil revenues. As the price tag of the regime has grown, the country has dipped more and more into the coffers of its state-owned oil company, PDVSA, and (increasingly) relied on the country’s central bank to fill the fiscal gap. This has resulted in a steady decline in the bolivar’s value.
Venezuela was one of the richest countries that emerged from the collapse of Gran Colombia in 1830 (the others being Colombia and Ecuador). For most of the first half of the 20th century, Venezuela was ruled by generally benevolent military strongmen, who promoted the oil industry and allowed for some social reforms. Democratically elected governments have held sway since 1959. Current concerns include: a polarized political environment, a politicized military, drug-related violence along the Colombian border, increasing internal drug consumption, overdependence on the petroleum industry with its price fluctuations, and irresponsible mining operations that are endangering the rain forest and indigenous peoples.
Food shortages, high inflation rates, protest, and violence: one sees these headlines in a Google search of Venezuela today. All around the country, there are long lines to buy simple necessities, like bread and milk. High inflation rates lead to shortages of food supplies, which increase frustration leading to protests in the streets and, sadly, an increase of violence. The protests and violence result from the inability of Venezuelans to provide the most basic human needs for their families. Sky-rocketing inflation rates in Venezuela are the result of Hugo Chavez, the former socialist and revolutionary leader of the country, and his administration. While in power, Chavez was so consumed with fixing the social issues in Venezuela, that other aspects of the country were ignored – like the economy. In 2014, Venezuela is left with a destroyed economy, angry people, and a government that is trying to fix the many issues the country currently faces; although the government is committed to finding solutions, the people of Venezuela do not feel the government is fixing the problems fast enough.
When people such as writers, philosopher, and scientists of the past would imagine and predict what the world would be like in the twenty-first century, most thought of a glorious advanced human civilization. A civilization with a stable and unified global government and global economy that is beneficial to all. It seems that now, in year 2011, we are far from a stable international community. With a vast majority of people living without food, clean water, and basic political rights, the future envisioned 100 or 200 years ago is still far away. There are numerous nations with either weak or failed states. Since the people living in these states are usually suffering enormous hardships, something needs to be done. This leads to a few central questions like, how can a weak state be made stronger? What strategy is most likely to be effective? What would it take to turn a weak or failed state into one with sufficient strength to carry out the main functions of a state? All of these questions will be answered in order as this paper is read. Before diving into these questions, it is important to examine the key features/characteristics of a weak state.
You can visit the top sights in Venezuela such as Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Caracas, Fundación Bigott, and Iglesia de San Francisco, all located in the capital city with a population of over 3,000,000 people, Caracas. Living in Venezuela can provide a very different lifestyle compared to the one most Americans have. As of July 2017 the population of Venezuela is 31,304,016 people. Their official language is Spanish, but many native dialects can be heard around the country. Over 90% of people in Venezuela practice the Roman Catholic religion.
revolution, but in times when the state itself becomes weak or poses a threat to
Why Nations Fail takes an in depth look into why some countries flourish and become rich powerful nations while other countries are left in or reduced to poverty. Throughout this book review I will discuss major arguments and theories used by the authors and how they directly impact international development, keeping in mind that nations are only as strong as their political and economical systems.
Uzbekistan is a dry, landlocked country of which 11% consists of intensely cultivated, irrigated river valleys. More than 60% of its population lives in densely populated rural communities. Uzbekistan is now the world’s second largest cotton exporter, a large producer of gold and oil, and a regionally significant producer of chemicals and machinery. The IMF suspended Uzbekistan’s $185 million standby arrangement in late 1996 because of government steps to the negative external conditions generated by the Asian and Russian financial export and currency controls within its already largely closed economy. Economic policies that have repelled foreign investment are a major factor in the economy’s stagnation. A growing debt burden, persistent inflation, and a poor business climate led to disappointing growth in 2001. However, in December 2001 the government voiced a renewed interest in economic reform, seeking advice from the IMF and other financial institutions (World 7). After independence, Uzbekistan tried to support inefficient state enterprises and shield consumers from the shocks of rapid economic reform. These policies eventually led to severe inflation and an economic crisis. Reforms brought inflation down to manageable levels and small businesses began to grow. Larger institutions are seeking joint ventures with international corporations. However, currency and trade restrictions remain too tight to encourage significant foreign investment. Falling global gold, copper, and cotton prices also hurt the economy. A privatization program is slowly being implemented with international support. Privatization is necessary to raise hard currency and promote economic development (Republic 4).
Economic on personal life play a very important role , without money we cannot service in the world ,to earn money we need to have good education. Money is play an major role in every individual.
The. The “Failed States,” Democracy, War and Peace. Convocation Hall, Toronto, Canada. March 5, 2012. Krasner, Stephen.