Last week, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) reported that the number of migrants and refugees from Venezuela has reached 3 million.
We’ve seen a lot about this on the news but there are some different interpretations about what is causing this mass migration that you don’t hear. Last May, rabble.ca was part of a delegation that went to Venezuela to observe the country’s elections. The people in the delegation saw sharp differences between what was happening on the ground and what was being reported in the western media.
And even when there was agreement on the facts, there was disagreement about the reasons. And there still is. Canada is one of the countries which is participating in the endless condemnations of the Maduro regime. Canada has economic sanctions in place against Venezuela, which critics of our foreign policy say create the problems that make life unliveable for so many and escalate the crisis.
Things haven’t gotten better in Venezuela since our election reports in May. In its most recent couple of programs, Global Research News Hour has devoted its airtime to explorations of the ongoing issues in Venezuela. A couple of weeks ago, host Michael Welch had a chance to talk to Steve Ellner, a professor of economic history and political science at Venezuela’s Universidad de Oriente in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela since 1977. He is the author of numerous books and journal articles on Venezuelan history and politics, specifically in the area of political parties and organized labour and frequently lectures on Venezuelan and Latin American political developments in the U.S. and elsewhere.
He was in Canada in late October as part of a North American speaking tour. Michael Welch spoke to him in Winnipeg.
Image: Wikimedia – 2015 Venezuela Colombia Migrant Crisis
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Read/watch rabble Venezuelan election coverage from May 2018:
Venezuela is democratic because the majority of voters made it so
Rabble TV
Venezuela – a mother’s testimony
Counting the Vote in Venezuela
What should international labour solidarity with Venezuela look like?
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