As socialist Venezuela collapses, socialist Bolivia thrives. Here’s why.

[Beet]

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2017/01/05/as-socialist-venezuela-collapses-socialist-bolivia-thrives-heres-why/?utm_term=.96700ac64b17

[Zinneke]

Lol at Bolivia being socialist.

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Morales isn't a literal idiot in terms of economics, which helps.

However, he isn't great. Better than your average world leader (certainly better than most Bolivian leaders, but I don't think his model is hugely sustainable and it's all a bit authoritarianian and caudilloish.

[Antonio the Sixth]

Lol at Bolivia being socialist.

LOL at either of them being socialist.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

Anyone would think that the term 'socialist' is like the term 'liberal' in that it is broad to the point where it has no analytical use.

[Intell]

Bolivia's government is socialist, while Bolivia in itself has strong socialistic elements.

[TheDeadFlagBlues]

Of course, there aren't all that many parallels between socialism in Ecuador/Bolivia and socialism in Venezuela. In the case of the latter, the cause of the left was championed by a military man with clear autocratic tendencies who tried to overthrow the government and who had no formal political experience before he was elected. In Ecuador, the left was championed by an academic economist and, in Bolivia, the left was championed by an indigenous organizer of campesinos.

I think the lesson to be learned from Venezuela is that the left should never place its faith in military strongmen. That's not a very interesting lesson and it ought to have been learned decades ago but it's worth re-stating...

[ag]

I think the lesson to be learned from Venezuela is that the left should never place its faith in military strongmen. That's not a very interesting lesson and it ought to have been learned decades ago but it's worth re-stating...

It is only true in part. Maduro is no soldier, yet the things got only worse under him.

But, yeah, Venezuela's problems are, mostly, outside the simplistic "left/right" dimension.

[DavidB.]

Can we not do the clickbait title thing here?

[🦀🎂🦀🎂]

Can we not do the clickbait title thing here?

Bolivian man finds secret for socialism! Capitalists hate him!

[Derpist]

Of course, there aren't all that many parallels between socialism in Ecuador/Bolivia and socialism in Venezuela. In the case of the latter, the cause of the left was championed by a military man with clear autocratic tendencies who tried to overthrow the government and who had no formal political experience before he was elected. In Ecuador, the left was championed by an academic economist and, in Bolivia, the left was championed by an indigenous organizer of campesinos.

I think the lesson to be learned from Venezuela is that the left should never place its faith in military strongmen. That's not a very interesting lesson and it ought to have been learned decades ago but it's worth re-stating...

Meanwhile, our left is calling for a CIA coup.

Venezeula is a sign of the disaster that happens when socialism isn't tempered by democracy, while Bolivia shows what gains can happen with a broad-based popular coalition. That being said, the policies that you have to adopt to keep a broad-based popular coalition is probably what's keeping Morales so unpopular among true leftist believers, who are probably thinking "..what if we could just...ignore everyone else?"

[Kingpoleon]

Can we not do the clickbait title thing here?

1. It worked.
2. Link to 10 New, Exciting Ways for a Socialist Country to Thrive!

[Maxwell]

Can we not do the clickbait title thing here?

Bolivian man finds secret for socialism! Capitalists hate him!

[CatoMinor]

Lol at Bolivia being socialist.

LOL at either of them being socialist.

LOL at anything ever being socialist

[MasterJedi]

Chavez and his ilk just used power to enrich themselves and let the country rot. Third world dictators are all the same, whatever they call themselves they're all fascist in the end.