Things have calmed down dramatically over the last few days, both in Venezuela and here in Canada. Not that things were bad up here – it’s just that there is a noticeable lack of “stuff” going on. I’ve never really noticed this phenomenon before, but it looks like Easter is slowing everything down.
It’s great that no one has been killed in protests in a while. As bad as the past two months or so have been in terms of disturbances and chaos, though, I’m hearing a sense of disappointment from Venezuelans regarding the fact that the situation seems to be calming down.
The reason for this, I think, is easy to miss. A government supporter might lament the hatred and violence the opposition appears bent on. An impartial observer might not understand how there could be disappointment over an improving situation. After all, Venezuela saw the worst civil unrest in over a decade these past two months. Why feel disappointed at the coming calm?
The reason for the disappointment is easy to miss because it comes from an anxiety over the future, and probably a fear of an ever worse crisis on the horizon. The root causes of the protests – scarcity, inflation and insecurity – haven’t been resolved. Venezuela is no closer today to tackling any of these issues than it was back at the start of the year. In fact, the situation has become more dire, given the government’s undemocratic response to the demonstrations.
Venezuela today is akin to a man who, suffering from a high fever, decides to take a cold bath. Sure, his temperature comes down and he might feel temporarily at ease because of the fact, but does he also not feel anxious that the cause of the fever goes unchecked? He would be foolish not to. How can he expect to survive the night if he’s done nothing meaningful to improve his situation?
In Venezuela 