First Things: Restoring Venezuela Will Require Faith

By Rachel Chiu

The United States is leading the political transition in Venezuela, marking an end to the socialist regime ushered in by Hugo Chávez in 1999. Under Chávez and his successor Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s economy collapsed, reducing one of the wealthiest countries in the world to one of the poorest in South America. Maduro’s capture is an important step toward freedom, but restoring Venezuela will require more than his ousting. My family lived in Caracas before socialism, in the poorest communities that later fell for the promises of dictators. Returning to the pre-socialist Venezuela we knew is not enough to bring the freedom and economic prosperity the people deserve after decades of hardship.