Question for DU: What would happen in Venezuela if the US would end its "economic war"?
Here's what we know:
Crime:
* Venezuela has a massive crime-problem and has had so for at least a decade. Theft, kidnappings, corruption... The capital Caracas was and is one of the most dangerous cities in the world, even before the current crisis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_Venezuela
https://www.cracked.com/personal-experiences-2128-my-wealthy-country-became-dystopia-6-realities.html
As of 2015, Venezuela was one of the most corrupt countries in the world. How corrupt? The only countries more corrupt than Venezuela were Iraq, Libya, Angola, South Sudan, Sudan, Afghanistan, North Korea and Somalia.
https://www.transparency.org/cpi2015
Even the frustratingly non-confrontational and toothless report by UN rapporteur de Zayas could not refuse to mention that important positions in institutions have been handed to cronies instead of qualified professionals.
https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/G1823931.pdf
see Section 22 of the report
Politics:
* The ruling party and the opposition-parties distrust each other. Plus an assassination-attempt on Maduro, cops looking on while a mob beats up opposition-politicians, there's suddenly accusations that Guaido committed financial crimes, there are unconstitutional actions by the Constitutional National Assembly such as illegally passing bills...
* There have been credible accusations that the Maduro-administration used bureaucratic trickery to keep opposition-candidates off the polls for the 2018 presidential election.
* There have been accusations by the manufacturer that the voting-machines for the 2017 Constitutional National Assembly election, in which Maduro's party won 100%, had been tampered with.
Economy:
* Venezuela has not enough income and is being sanctioned. This lack of money has lead to shortages and runaway inflation. This had lead to massive emigration, especially of educated people.
Foreign influence:
* The attempted assassins of Maduro have been in contact with the US, though the timeline is unknown.
* The russian airforce is now active in Venezuela.
* Russian mercenaries, purportedly of the Wagner-group, are now active in Venezuela.
* A russian cyber-warfare unit is now active in Venezuela.
* There was a mysterious incident with an empty russian plane that was covered up by the venezuelan government, leading to speculations that the national gold-reserves have been transfered to Moscow.
Now.
If the sanctions got lifted, what would happen?
Would the crime go away? Would the corruption go away? Would Maduro stop manipulating elections? Would the russian mercenaries go away? Would Venezuela get its gold back from Russia?
Being totally at the mercy of an imperialist Russia, how would Venezuela get their economic independence back?
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