Venezuela shows the world what happens when an authoritarian takes over and dominates a country - expertise and competence is replaced by ignorant, incompetent, and untouchable political loyalists. Venezuela had a thriving oil industry. It is in shambles:
“ Soon after President Hugo Chávez rose to power in the 1990s with promises to use the country’s oil wealth to lift up the poor, he fired thousands of oil workers, including engineers and geologists, and replaced them with political supporters, took control of foreign-owned oil assets, and neglected safety and environmental standards.”
Chavez was a left wing, socialist authoritarian. But the problem was getting rid of the experts more than socialism itself.
Putin went to war because no one could tell him what he didn’t want to hear. But his military was in bad shape and the country he was invading is fighting fiercely to drive him out. Surprise surprise.
Trump listens to nobody- that is, he listens to nobody that knows anything. He listens to toadies who tell him what he wants to hear. And he lost the election, and his Trump endorsed election denier crazies lost their elections in 2022, and he will lose the election in 2024. And he will be convicted of his multiple crimes. Because is not a king. He is ignorant, and not smart, and cruel, and panicked, and delusional.
Authoritarian rulers plant the seeds of their own destruction by surrounding themselves with self serving sycophants who are incompetent and often not too bright.
He wants to be an authoritarian, and he believes he is an authoritarian, but I believe he is just a deluded old man who is on his way to prison.
I just hope and pray he doesn’t convince his cult crazies to kill people on his last sad little journey.
