In retrospect, Venezuela’s shortage of toilet paper, which began in September 2013 and continues today, was an ominous sign. Venezuelans, even the most ardent admirers of the late President Hugo Chavez, now admit that it was a troubling metaphor for all that ailed the nation.
President Nicolas Maduro, Chavez’s anointed heir, has struggled from the moment his mentor named him as his successor. He faced countless crises: an economy circling the drain, crime rates skyrocketing and huge protests from the opposition. And that was just the beginning.
Now his popular approval ratings have taken a sharp nosedive amid a worsening of shortages in basic consumer goods and a currency crisis that, in its most recent manifestation, is gradually shutting down international airline operations in Venezuela.