Last year, four out of 10 Venezuelans had property or money stolen. Hardly surprising since Venezuela was the least secure out of 144 nations, according to the most recent Gallup Law and Order Index.
Chaos in Venezuela is creating a power vacuum, pulling regional and global powers into the South American country. Brazil has long attempted to become the regional leader and to guide other South American countries into prosperity, but has failed to properly respond to the socialist threat. Instead, as German scholar Oliver Stuenkel argues, Brazil has become an enabler of Maduro’s government. Brazilian firm Odebrecht was recently convicted of bribing South American governments in return for construction contracts, according to the BBC. The U.K. broadcaster reported that the bribes totaled hundreds of millions of dollars and stretched from Mexico to Argentina. The pattern is consistent: Brazil would rather profit from Venezuela’s misfortune than to work toward a solution.
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