logo
episode-header-image
Aug 2021
55m 6s

BONUS: Venezuela's Rise and Fall

NPR
About this episode
Venezuela is facing an economic and humanitarian crisis as extreme poverty and violence have forced many to flee the country in recent years. How did a country once wealthy with oil resources fall into such turmoil?

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy
Up next
Yesterday
When old oil wells become 'orphans,' that's a problem
All across the U.S., there are aging oil and natural gas wells no longer in use.A lot of them don't have anyone on the hook to seal them up. Some estimate over a million such "orphan wells" still exist.Because they haven't been plugged, they're still leaking greenhouse gases and ... Show More
7m 58s
Jul 10
A harrowing journey to find food in Gaza
Israel bans international journalists from independent access to Gaza. But NPR's Anas Baba is from Gaza, and in the 21 months he has been reporting on the war, he's also been living it. Over the course of the war, he has lost a third of his body weight, and until his food supplie ... Show More
10m 31s
Jul 10
After devastating floods a Central Texas community comes together
It's been nearly a week since devastating flooding tore through Kerr County, Texas killing more than a hundred people.Now, after unimaginable tragedy, residents are coming together to help each other move forward.NPR's Juana Summers and producers Erika Ryan and Tyler Bartlam visi ... Show More
10m 53s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2013
Venezuela - Out of Stock
Despite its massive natural oil wealth, Venezuela is a country sliding into recession, and has one of the highest inflation rates in the world. With prices of some products rising as much as 50% or more annually, the crisis presents a simple human predicament - how to lay your ha ... Show More
28m 8s
Aug 2022
War in Ukraine: Venezuela's oil opportunity?
Russian aggression in Ukraine and the world's quest to end the dependence on Russian oil and gas has created an opportunity for Venezuela to negotiate an easing of the US-imposed oil sanctions. But, as Ivana Davidovic discovers, there are also many pitfalls on that journey.Venezu ... Show More
18m 4s
Jan 2019
Ep. 47 | Venezuela's Utterly Avoidable Catastrophe | Guest: Brian Brushwood
Venezuela's economy hit rock bottom, then just kept digging straight to the septic tank. Now there are rival presidents vying for power over a starving populace. Magician and deputized foreign policy expert Brian Brushwood joins Heaton to assess the once-wealthy nation's plunge i ... Show More
1h 3m
Dec 2023
Dispute over Essequibo: What impact will it have on Venezuela's economy?
As diplomats scramble to try to cool tensions between Venezuela and Guyana over disputed land, how much is all this down to the perilous state of the Venezuelan economy? The strike of Tesla's mechanics in Sweden has spread to other countries across Scandinavia. We get the latest ... Show More
27m 26s
Jan 2023
Leopoldo Lopez: Has Venezuela’s opposition been outmanoeuvred?
Stephen Sackur speaks to Leopoldo Lopez, a key leader of Venezuela’s opposition. Once a political prisoner, now in exile in Spain, his efforts to topple the socialist regime led by Nicolas Maduro have been thwarted. Has Venezuela’s pro-democracy movement been outmanoeuvred? 
23m 46s
Apr 2024
Guyana vs Venezuela, War for the Essequibo (Guyana vs Venezuela, Guerra por el Esequibo)
There could be a war brewing in South America... and it's a conflict that has been a long time coming. You see, Guyana and Venezuela have been fighting a silent battle for centuries over a large territory that makes up two-thirds of Guyana - the Essequibo. During the late 18 ... Show More
27m 17s
Jul 2023
María Corina Machado: The existential fight for Venezuela
Stephen Sackur speaks to Venezuelan opposition politician Maria Corina Machado, currently seen as the most likely challenger to socialist authoritarian president Nicolas Maduro in elections due next year. Maduro has survived the collapse of his economy and international sanctions ... Show More
23m 28s
Dec 2023
Is Venezuela about to invade its neighbour?
Tensions between South American neighbours Venezuela and Guyana have ratcheted up a notch in recent weeks over the disputed oil rich region of Essequibo. The territory, which is roughly the size of Florida, currently makes up around two thirds of Guyana and vast oil reserves were ... Show More
23m 49s