Oil, Gold, and Self Determination: Three Faces of the Venezuelan Crisis

This paper seeks to contextualise the political and economic crisis in Venezuela by exploring the various root causes and perspectives of it.

This paper seeks to contextualize the political and economic crisis in Venezuela by exploring various root causes and perspectives. Beyond the headlines, it grounds understanding of the core issues in a broader economic and geopolitical context by framing the crisis in terms of the so-called ‘resource curse’ economic paradigm and the long history of US interventionism in the region. Finally, it argues that in order to protect the integrity of the rules-based international order, it is imperative for the international community to reject foreign political intervention and uphold the sovereignty of the Venezuelan people.