Monday, May 13, 2013
Venezuela: Operation "Safe Homeland", 3,000 Soldiers Patrol Streets Of Caracas And Other Cities
BBC:
President Maduro said the plan would bring peace to Venezuela, which has one of the highest homicide rates in South America.
The opposition has long criticised the government's record on crime, and used it as a campaign issue in recent polls.
Last year, the government introduced a new gun law banning the sale of firearms and ammunition.
Crime figures have been rising steadily since the late president Hugo Chavez took office in 1999.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-22519497
Pragmatism or repression? Double standards for martial law? Popular mandate or power grab?
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4 comments:
Good question. It is difficult to comment on the situation of crime in venezuela because I know virtually nothing about it. I have heard allegations of destabilization from US operatives, but I have no evidence. Having the Military in the streets always seems like a bad step for a democracy, but if the criminals are armed to the degree that I have witnessed in other south american countries, than it would be that or a militarized police force. Don't know which is worse. But the Military will also likely be completely ineffective in dealing with this problem, the likely result would be some sort of undiscussed truce, where the crime gangs that curtail their violence will be able to buy off the military and continue the non-violent crimes in peace.
Military occupation or militarized civilian police is a false choice. We have seen the Mexican army step in to combat the drug cartels. What is the result? A matched escalation of weaponry and tactics. The answer to violence is never more violence. These atrocities and crimes can only be stopped by a non-violent popular uprising and by offering comparable gains through legitimate channels and programs. Decriminalizing black market operations is the most powerful disincentive at the government's disposal. Street crime is largely a symptom of poverty and disenfranchisement. Those problems are unlikely to be solved by military intervention. Threatening a population is not an effective means to gain their support.
well said. it is certainly not military or police invasion, one or the other.
I am equally uninformed regarding the actual situation on the ground in Venezuela as a result of the inherent biases of any reportage coming from the most oil-rich nation on Earth. Therefore, I can only engage in abstract analysis of policy choices within a larger theoretical framework. Now the challenge is to build the most accurate picture we can of this geopolitically significant country, making sure to include a complete historical context and the actions of various members of the international community. We ought to make this article the first on the topic of Venezuela, continually adding to it as new developments occur and as we look deeper into the past to increase our capacity to interpret future events.
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