Venezuela Today

Abstract

This article analyses the short- and longer-term roots of the current crisis in Venezuela. It explains the genesis of the country's modern political history, and how this set the scene for the rise of both Hugo Chavez and the broader Bolivarian project. It then assesses the causes and consequences of the present crisis, with a specific focus on both the implications for democracy in Venezuela, as well as the wider legitimacy of the Bolivarian state within the country's politics.