Setting the   Stage

Venezuela sits upon the world stage as nations wonder how a country at the peak of its economic success and diplomatic security could unravel so fast and so dramatically. Meanwhile, expert economists wonder how people around the world did not see this crash coming decades ago. To the average observer, it appears that Venezuela was hit with an unexpected bout of extreme turbulence, nevertheless, the collapse was long foreseen as a result of atrocious corruption, excessive government dependence, a long history of financial stupidity, and a desperate over-reliance on petroleum.