Venezuela: Ensayo Sobre La Descomposición / Venezuela: An Essay on Decomposition

De todos los gobiernos de izquierda que pasaron por Am rica Latina en los ltimos a os, el de Venezuela es el que intent llevar adelante el cambio m s radical... y tambi n el que fracas m s radicalmente. Este libro cuenta el proceso de declive de la Revoluci n Bolivariana desde diferentes ngulos: una crisis econ mica in dita en la historia del capitalismo, que redujo el PBI a un cuarto de lo que era y expuls a siete millones de personas; una cat strofe social que convirti al pa s del Socialismo del siglo XXI en uno de los m s desiguales de la regi n, y un giro autoritario que hizo que Venezuela se transformara en un r gimen que no es una democracia, pero tampoco una dictadura plena: una criatura pol tica nica.

Mezcla de ensayo, relato de viaje y cr nica period stica, este libro analiza las m ltiples crisis de un pa s que pas de ser un faro ideol gico para la izquierda al "patito feo" de Am rica Latina. Jos Natanson viaj a Venezuela, subi a los cerros m s pobres y visit negocios de lujo, convers con la gente en la calle, entrevist a pol ticos y analistas. Sin prejuicios pero sin miedo a la pol mica, responde algunas preguntas cruciales como: Qui n es el responsable de la crisis? Cu nto influy el acoso de Estados Unidos? Qu peso de la culpa tiene la oposici n? Ch vez y Maduro son lo mismo? Y, en definitiva: Qu pas con Venezuela?

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

A territory in constant controversy. To the left-wing, Venezuela is a blind spot, while for the right it is the sum of all evil. This book constitutes a key and decisive contribution to understand what really happened in recent years to make this country go from a regional hope to a decomposing nation.

Of all the left-wing governments that passed through Latin America in the past few years, the Venezuelan government is the one who tried to carry out the most radical change... and also the one who failed more radically. This book recounts the process of decline of the Bolivarian Revolution from different perspectives; an unprecedented financial crisis in the history of capitalism that reduced the BIP to a quarter of what it was and drove out seven million people; a social catastrophe that turned a twenty-first century Socialist country into one of the most inequitable nations in the region, and an authoritarian twist that turned Venezuela into a regime that is not a democracy, but also not a full dictatorship: a unique political creature.

Blending essay, travel story, and chronicle, this book analyzes the multiple crises in a country that was once an ideological beacon to left-wing governments and became Latin America's "ugly duckling." Jos Natanson traveled to Venezuela, climbed the poorest mountains, and visited luxurious businesses, talked to people on the street, and interviewed politicians and analysts. Unprejudiced, but unafraid of controversy, he answers a few crucial questions, such as: Who is responsible for this crisis? How much of it was influenced by the United States' harassment? How is the opposition to blame? Chavez and Maduro are the same? And ultimately: What happened to Venezuela?