𝕽𝖔𝖈𝖆

I've recently been seeing a narrative circulating online about the sanctions and the damage they've caused in Venezuela. Many people, both Chavistas and anti-imperialists, in their eagerness to whitewash a depraved dictatorial regime, have come up with the story that Venezuela wasn't prepared because of these sanctions. Let me tell you, the sanctions are not Venezuela's problem. The sanctions didn't create the conditions for one of the largest diasporas in South America (more than 8 million Venezuelans). The sanctions didn't steal billions of dollars, nor did they prevent investment in infrastructure or other sectors to overcome dependence on oil. Venezuela was already in a precarious situation before the sanctions. Here's a table showing the years the sanctions were imposed. As you can see, the ones that truly impacted the economy were those from 2017. The earlier sanctions were specific and targeted entities and individuals, not the entire state.