@tehwatever
We use the term differently but we seem to be in agreement for the most part. “Fundamentalist” seem to mean different things to us. The reason I use the term is because thats how the media describes terrorists with a very litteral interpretation of Islam here. The “kill all infidels” kind of interpretation, not normal muslims just living their lives. I hope that makes it clearer!
Venezuela:
The government populist social welfare policies were bolstered by soaring oil prices,[16] temporarily increasing social spending,[17] and reducing economic inequality and poverty in the early years of the regime.[22] The 2013 Venezuelan presidential election was widely disputed leading to widespread protest, which triggered another nationwide crisis that continues to this day.[23]
Venezuela is a developing country and ranks 96th on the Human Development Index. It has the world’s largest known oil reserves and has been one of the world’s leading exporters of oil. Previously, the country was an underdeveloped exporter of agricultural commodities such as coffee and cocoa, but oil quickly came to dominate exports and government revenues. The excesses and poor policies of the incumbent government led to the collapse of Venezuela’s entire economy.[24][25] The country struggles with record hyperinflation,[26][27] shortages of basic goods,[28] unemployment,[29] poverty,[30] disease, high child mortality, malnutrition, severe crime and corruption. These factors have precipitated the Venezuelan migrant crisis where more than three million people have fled the country.[31] By 2017, Venezuela was declared to be in default regarding debt payments by credit rating agencies.[32][33] The crisis in Venezuela has contributed to a rapidly deteriorating human rights situation, including increased abuses such as torture, arbitrary imprisonment, extrajudicial killings and attacks on human rights advocates.
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Since 2 February 1999, Venezuela saw sweeping and radical shifts in social policy, moving away from the government officially embracing a free-market economy and neoliberal reform principles and towards income redistribution and social welfare programs.
Then-President Hugo Chávez dramatically shifted Venezuela’s traditional foreign policy alignment. Instead of continuing Venezuela’s past alignment with the United States and European strategic interests, Chávez promoted alternative development and integration policies targeted the Global South.
Chávez died in office on 5 March 2013 and was succeeded by his Vice President Nicolás Maduro, who gained a slim majority in the 14 April 2013 special election and has ruled by decree for the majority of the period between 19 November 2013 through 2018.
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On 14 April 2013 Nicolás Maduro was elected President of Venezuela, narrowly defeating opposition candidate Henrique Capriles with just 1.5% of the vote separating the two candidates. Capriles immediately demanded a recount, refusing to recognize the outcome as valid.[1] Maduro was later formally inaugurated as President on 19 April, after the election commission had promised a full audit of the election results.[2][3] On 24 October 2013, he announced the creation of a new agency, the Vice Ministry of Supreme Happiness, to coordinate all the social programmes.
Maduro denies that Venezuela has been facing a humanitarian crisis.[58] Maduro stuck to his predecessor Hugo Chávez’s policies in order to remain popular to those who find a connection between the two. Despite the increasingly difficult crises facing Venezuela, such as a faltering economy and high crime rate, Maduro continued the use of Chávez’s policies.[59]
After continuing Chávez’s policies, Maduro’s support among Venezuelans began to decrease, with Bloomberg explaining that he held on to power by placing opponents in jail and impeding upon Venezuela’s freedom of press.[60] According to Marsh, instead of making any policy changes, Maduro placed attention on his “hold on power by closing off the legal channels through which the opposition can act”.[61] Shannon K. O’Neil of the Council on Foreign Relations stated that “After Chavez’s death, Maduro has just continued and accelerated the authoritarian and totalitarian policies of Chavez”.[62]
The rally against Maduro’s government in October 2016
The rally in support of Maduro’s government in December 2016
Regarding Maduro’s ideology, Professor Ramón Piñango, a sociologist from the Venezuelan University of IESA, “Maduro has a very strong ideological orientation, close to the Communist ideology. Contrary to Diosdado, he is not very pragmatic”.[63] Maduro himself has stated that Venezuela must build a more socialist nation, highlighting that the country needs an economic overhaul, a political-military union and government involvement in the workplace.[64]
When elected in 2013, Maduro continued the majority of existing economic policies of his predecessor Hugo Chávez. When entering the presidency, Maduro’s Venezuela faced a high inflation rate and large shortages of goods[71][72][73] that was left over from the previous administration of President Chávez.[74][75][76][77]
Maduro blamed capitalism for speculation that is driving high rates of inflation and creating widespread shortages of staples, and often said he was fighting an “economic war”, calling newly enacted economic measures “economic offensives” against political opponents he and loyalists state are behind an international economic conspiracy.[78][79][80][81][82][83] However, Maduro has been criticized for only concentrating on public opinion instead of tending to the practical issues economists have warned the Venezuelan government about or creating any ideas to improve the economic situation in Venezuela such as the “economic war”.[84][85]
Venezuela was ranked as the top spot globally with the highest misery index score in 2013,[86] 2014,[87] and 2015[88][89] In 2014, Venezuela’s economy entered an economic depression[90] that has continued as of 2017.[61] Under Maduro’s rule, GDP has approximately halved.[91]
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