This interview brings Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López together with a discussion of two intertwined stories: the collapse of Venezuela under socialism and the growing role of China in propping up its government. López speaks from first-hand experience of opposition politics in Venezuela, and he places the country’s crisis in a wider international context, asking why a nation once prosperous and relatively free fell into authoritarian rule, debt and economic ruin.
The conversation focuses on how China has helped Nicolás Maduro maintain his hold on power, through loans, trade and political support, and what that relationship has meant for ordinary Venezuelans. It also asks what liberal democracies should do to support a democratic future for Venezuela, and how a future government should deal with Beijing. For viewers, it is a clear account of how domestic socialism and foreign backing can reinforce each other.
Under Hugo Chávez, Venezuela went from a prosperous and relatively free country to an authoritarian socialist dictatorship that was mired in debt. Today, his predecessor Nicolás Maduro has carried on those failed socialist policies despite widespread consternation from the international community and opposition at home. Joining us to discuss China’s role in Venezuela’s past and future is Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López. We talk about the role China has played in Maduro’s continued stranglehold over the government and economy, what liberal democracies should do to help Venezuela, and what the proper relationship with China should be under a new democratic Venezuelan leadership.