The Bay of Piglets

 

We investigate a farcical attempt by mercenaries to capture and overthrow Nicolas Maduro, the president of Venezuela.

Latin America has seen a remarkable number of revolutions and coups d’etat over the last century. However, whether military endeavours, covertly backed by foreign governments, or the result of purely domestic political pressure, they have not always been successful or achieved their aims.

How did Venezuela end up with two presidents? | Start Here

 

Venezuela has two competing presidents — Juan Guaido and Nicolas Maduro. Neither seems able to fix the mess that the country is in. Will parliamentary elections only make things worse?

Venezuela's crisis and the geopolitics of news narratives

Opposition figure Juan Guaido proclaims himself 'President' in Venezuela. Plus, Serbian media under Vucic.

Venezuela's crisis and the geopolitics of news narratives

When opposition figure Juan Guaido declared himself interim president in Venezuela last week, he was quickly backed by the United States and many other governments. The US media covered the push to remove President Nicolas Maduro, without saying whether that attempt, if successful, would amount to a coup.

The coverage also mostly stayed away from the role successive American administrations - through economic sanctions - have played in handicapping the Venezuelan economy. As Iraqis, Iranians, Libyans and others would tell you, this isn't the first time the US has taken a disproportionate interest in the governance of a country loaded with oil. Washington has a playbook for this kind of thing. And so, apparently, do the US media.

Less paper, more Maduro: Venezuela's media crisis

Nicolas Maduro starts his second term as president of crisis-ridden Venezuela. Plus, political eulogies in the US media.

Earlier this month, Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a second term as Venezuela's president. The election that got him there has been widely condemned as having been rigged, and opposition voices were mostly absent from the airwaves.

The case against Maduro's treatment of the media is compelling. His critics contend that since he first took office in 2013, 33 newspapers and almost 100 radio and TV stations have been censored or shut down, while 50 journalists have been prosecuted.

Venezuelans now suffer not only under chronic shortages of food and medicine, but also of paper - adding a further barrier to the free flow of information in the country.

Why Colombia has taken in 1 million Venezuelans

Colombia is currently dealing with a massive wave of refugees coming from Venezuela. Venezuelans are fleeing their home because of a severe economic crisis under President Nicolas Maduro. There are high inflation rates and there isn’t enough food available for people within Venezuela to even eat. Thousands of Venezuelans cross the Simon Bolivar bridge located at Cúcuta every day and Colombia doesn’t seem to be turning anyone way. This borders episode looks at why Colombia doesn’t turn away these refugees, the shared history of the two nations