Debating Venezuela

Steve Ellner — The issue in debate is not Maduro’s mistaken policies but his demonisation, which undermines the task of opposing US sanctions on Venezuela.

Pedro Eusse outlines the Communist Party of Venezuela’s position on the Maduro government and responds to statements made by Steve Ellner about his party.

Gabriel Hetland — The immense harm caused by US sanctions should not mean leftists give Maduro's repressive and predatory government a free pass.

Steve Ellner — Failure to contextualise errors and transcend binaries when it comes the Maduro government leads to underestimating the US sanctions and undermines solidarity.

Marea Socialista — Venezuelan workers must reclaim their political independence and forge an agenda for struggle against bureaucracy and capital.

Emiliano Teran Mantovani argues Steve Ellner’s defence of Venezuela’s Maduro government reflects a tendency on the left to defend decaying regimes rather than chart out alternative paths rooted in popular struggles.

Steve Ellner — Gabriel Hetland’s article “Capitalism and authoritarianism in Maduro’s Venezuela” presents a one-sided and decontextualised view of Venezuela under Maduro. 

Gabriel Hetland — Maduro’s authoritarianism has garnered significant attention, but there has been less notice of the transformation in Maduro’s class base.

Atenea Jiménez explains the origins and objectives of the Alliance for Sovereignty and Democracy, how the new Donald Trump presidency might impact Venezuelan politics and the need for solidarity with Venezuela’s left.

Comunes — With Chávez, we were moving in a revolutionary and popular direction. But in the past 10 years, the Bolivarian Revolution has lost protagonism and is no longer expressed in government policies. The results are in plain sight.

Luís Bonilla-Molina — The July 28 presidential election marked the start of a new phase within Madurismo, one of deepening authoritarianism in order to stabilise its pro-capitalist regime.

Luís Bonilla-Molina — To understand the situation of the Venezuelan working class, it is important to analyse the Maduro government and Madurismo in three phases.