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Things That Matter
I took this photo a week ago, as I was walking through the Catia barrio in central Caracas. The man sitting in the trash had put thin rolls of paper up his nose as not to smell the rotten food that he was eating, and those around him are so used to this image that they simply walk on by.
The photo was taken on an iPhone, and not only because it’s far too dangerous to be revealed as a journalist in a neighborhood like Catia, completely run by Colectivos, but also because I had been held at gunpoint and robbed by that very same paramilitary group just a few days prior. I had lost everything but my life and now, using a phone I had been given by a friendly twitter-follower, I was snapping pictures and trying to continue my reporting in a makeshift guerrilla-style way.
As some of you know, I was born and raised in Sweden and was blessed by having some long and loving summers in Texas that shaped me into this strange amalgam of a person; a Jewish woman with middle eastern eyebrows, a Swedish passport and an all-American heart. Perhaps it’s because nothing about me makes sense that I have spent most of my adult life making sense of things – searching for clues about the world and its inhabitant – or maybe I just have wanderlust caused by an upbringing in the Northern woodlands, far from all the places I know call my home.
Two things have influenced me more than all other. One is (as I described here on Ricochet in a previous post) my time in Texas as a young child and another my first visit to Poland in 1993, when I as a precocious 11-year-old was allowed to accompany my father on a work trip. My father didin’t exactly suffer from helicopter parenting so while he was in meetings I walked around Gdansk on my own, talking to strangers and taking pictures with my ancient instamax. I won’t spend this entire post detailing what I saw but I will say that the meeting between a recently liberated East, reaching for the West, moved me deeply. I never got to see the depths of despair under Communism but I got a whiff of it there, seeing a country seemingly rebuilding after an extended war, and even though I was far too young to understand what I had seen or to analyze what I experienced it stuck with me to the point where I can still conjure up those images – of empty shelves next to neon Levis signs – and revisit the visceral feeling of being a visitor from the future carrying a message from a faraway world.
When my father and I had dinner that night I told him about my day and he relayed his experiences from having worked in Eastern Europe in the 80’s, having friends and colleagues be arrested and spied upon and fighting for every inch of freedom under an iron Communist rule. To me, it sounded like the dark part of a fairy tale – when the witch puts a spell on the Kingdom and makes everything turn gray – but later in life I would learn about the realities of what he had told me, and (as Ricochet readers may know) take many turns on my road to fully understand it.
Sweden has long been known as a socialist paradise (a faulty rep as it’s actually a mixed economy/liberal welfare state with high taxes and a socialist veneer) and as such its political and intellectual elite have turned Chavez’ Venezuela to a cause celebre and an example of ideology done right. Sweden isn’t alone in this. Much of the Western world has, after Cuba became too distasteful for even the most hardened ideologists, hailed Venezuela as the last outpost, a plucky rebel state in a capitalist world. Despite ample proof of the Venezuelan people’s suffering, progressive Westerners insisted that the vision of Chavez was sound and upon his death, nearly 6 years ago to the day, there were plenty of tear-filled eulogies over a man who sent his own people into the deepest depths of despair.
So a few weeks ago, when I saw what I thought were signs of real change in this totalitarian state, I decided I had to go and see it for myself and report in whatever way I could from the last outpost of Socialism. I was supposed to stay in Venezuela for six days, and now I am coming up on five weeks, and everything I know has changed in the interim. I knew how bad it was here, but I didn’t know, I had a sense of human suffering but I had no idea what it actually looked like.
In the past five weeks I have seen children dying in the street from starvation and curable diseases, a society lacking even the most basic necessities and a people who has lost all hope. I have been targeted, hunted and harmed for being a journalist, hid under the pulpet as armed Chavistas broke down the door to the National Assembly and seen people line up for over 48 hours to be given a government-issued car battery. I have seen this failed state up close and with every passing day I have more questions and more reasons to stay, because and despite it all.
I have been blessed to be on the excellent Ricochet Podcast a few times since starting my reports from and on Venezuela and in the last one we discussed a possible American intervention, something that my Twitter DMs tell me stirred up a lot of emotions, and before I throw myself into more Venezuelan adventure I thought I would address the issue here, on the best feed I know.
To understand why I am in favor of limited American intervention in Venezuela, one has to consider my background, which is why I bored you with this lengthy prelude. In my mind, America has always been a savior, despite being raised in a country that sat on its high horse an hissed about imperialism and “world policing”. America put things right, using its considerable toolbox to oust despots and set people free and not unlike the superheroes of my childhood, always shows up just in the nick of time.
I get that it’s a hard sell. Venezuela has, long before Chavez, favored strong-arm leadership and nurtured an almost messianic cult of personality in its political life and the same people who elected Chavez as a savior 21 years ago are now looking to be saved by the US and bailed out by a foreign entity. After Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan (to name a few recent examples) my argument for saving America from a Hezbollah stronghold on its border may not win many hearts and minds and, furthermore, a possible (probable) extended war between US troops and Cuban, Venezuelan, Lebanese, Iranian and Colombian paramilitary entities may result in a non-negliable cost of American life and treasure. I get it. To most, and ask like that would simply sounds like chutzpah.
And still, here I am, trying to figure the world out and asking myself and you if maybe, it could be done?
I may be naive, I will grant you all that; Thinking that a limited intervention can be the beginning of a profitable alliance in a highly strategic place, and that this could be a new version of PLAN Columbia that includes a few drones, a Petroleum pact and a long overdue slap in Iran’s face. I may also be emotional, or schmaltzy, as we say, in the face of all this suffering and the people coming up to me, begging for me to get the words and images out there so that the world will finally care about this despot’s slow murder of his own people.
I don’t know how or if this crisis will end or how long I will stay in Venezuela, but I know that every journalist at some point in their career has a feeling that there’s something they need to see through. A week ago I was face down on the ground with a gun to the back of my head, the weight of the Maduro government over me and the legacy of Chavez all around. Two days after that, i sat down with one of the senior leaders of the colectivos, the very paramilitary group that held and robbed me, sharing a plastic cup of coffee and discussing strategies for a possible civil war. This country makes no sense, and so I try to make sense of it. This crisis is underreported, and so I came. This is what I think journalism is and should be – going to the heart of the story and reporting what you see. It isn’t fancy and most often, it doesn’t make you famous. But these are things that matter, and the only way to find some sense.
Apart from my cameras and equipment, I packed very few things for this trip, but I did bring three items for my own enjoyment. Cigars (obviously), a copy of Krauthammer’s “Things that matter” and an old iPod filled with podcasts for those bumpy Caracas flights. I have now spent considerable hours listening to Rob, James and Peter, going back to the very beginning, and few things are as comforting as listening to them duke it out over elections long passed and stepping on segways like a Norwegian entering a Sauna (it’s funny if you know Norwegians). All three things are now in the hands of a colectivo gang in San Antonio Del Tachira and as upsetting as it was to lose everything I have worked so hard for I can’t help but giggle at the thought of a Maduro henchman lighting up a Cuban to the sound of Conservative banter while cracking the spine of Krauthammer’s book.
And to those of you in the comments who said that no matter how much I’m getting paid for this, it’s not worth it, I must disappoint – twice! Not only am I freelancing (and thereby being paid in pennies and booze) but given my recent run-in with the “law” I may end up paying to be here, in more ways than one. It’s not about the money (sorry, Rob, I know this hurts your soul!), I’m afraid. I need to understand this, and make sense of it all before I go and bring a little bit of truth out there among all the disinformation, to help a people I quite honestly have come to love.
We may disagree on a lot, the Venezuelans and I, but we share one common goal and central passion; the yearning for freedom and the fight against accepted truths. It may not be much, but to me, these are the things that matter.
Sincerely,
your (lovable?) fool in Caracas
Published in Foreign Policy, General, Journalism
What courage !
You should get out of there. Go to Colombia for a while. Then go home and try to figure out why we don’t pay attention, don’t care, probably won’t do any thing at least not for a good while and then try to figure out why nothing is likely to change until we do. The thing is, the Venezuelan military will collapse with a Colombian led invasion and US air support but we can’t know that until we do it.
We knew a Venezuelan couple when we lived in Jakarta, Indonesia. We met them through the Catholic Church we attended. They were delightful and would always talk about how much they loved their beautiful country. When we left, they gave us a small tapestry that depicted a pilgrimage site in Venezuela. I have forgotten the name of the site, but after reading your story I wonder what has happened to this couple and the beautiful country they love. Is it a place to where they would want to return? What a sad, tragic story. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Stay safe Annika.
Thank you.
You’ve done a superb job of reporting from the front lines, but it’s time to get out of there and come home for your safety. Your work is done.
You know what I like? You’ve posted this in the member feed. You could easily have popped this directly on to the so-called “Main” feed, but you gave it to us first. I really like that.
Now…should we do something? Probably. And for all the reasons you say.
But what? What can we do? Humanitarian aid isn’t a terrible idea, if we can ensure the stuff get’s where it should. How do we keep the Collectivos from terrorizing journalists? And once we do get involved, how do we get out? How do we define success?
And keep in mind, we have our own socialist whack jobs here in the US who, despite all the evidence to the contrary, think that going down the road to socialism is a great idea. So we have to stave that off before we get to where Venezuela is today.
So…I dunno…
So glad that the lovable (yes) fool in Caracas still lives to tell this tale!
I am not going to tell you to come home even though I would like to, because I understand why you feel you have to be there. But I will second tigerlily: stay safe.
Annika – This reporting is Pulitzer Prize-heartbreaking. Outstanding.
I didn’t understand this comment: “After Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan (to name a few recent examples) my argument for saving America from a Hezbollah stronghold on its border may not win many hearts and minds and, furthermore, a possible (probable) extended war ” – did you mean Mexico?
Your courage is admirable and I have enjoyed all of your reporting that I could find.
I hope the American military steers clear of any involvement in Venezuela for the following reasons: The US seems to be tasked with rebuilding society after each military engagement. This is expensive and hopeless. We have ridiculous rules of engagement making victory slow, expensive, and unlikely. Look at the relatively minor issue of what becomes of captured ISIS fighters in the mideast. In any sane world, they would be promptly killed for fighting out of uniform . (Geneva Convention, unfair advantage, danger to civilians, etc.). Watch how this plays out. America will foot the bill for their humanitarian treatment until they die of old age. We are literally too civilized and humanitarian to conduct military operations that are not existential, sort of like Europe. Except we can still muster an army so we are asked to do the fighting.
Half of our country is trying its best to stuff impoverished Third Worlders into America, without any limiting principle, and make them wards of the state. This will bankrupt us, and is already insanely expensive even if the left is unsuccessful in its goals. We cannot afford humanitarian interventions while most of my state, California, is currently a humanitarian disaster and unable to educate its children.
Finally, there is the fact that the citizenry of Venezuela brought this on themselves. Being stupid and ignorant has consequences. Like Instapundit says, “you can vote in socialism but you have to shoot your way out”. I would support NGOs smuggling rifles into Venezuela, but they can shoot their own way out.
Am I being too heartless here?
Thanks for the insight.
Truly not meaning to be critical, but what most surprises me is what dangers a single mom will dare for people very far from her children and her home. All people matter immensely, which is why many Americans are proud of our country’s foreign interventions. And perhaps the good Lord is calling you to this fight, for you and for them. But your kids need a fighter too. Not even our soldiers sign up to leave their families for wars unconnected to American security (they would go, but that’s not why they enlist). I pray you remain safe, for yourself and for us… but mostly for your boys.
Trust me, as a fellow Texan, I am not a safety-first kinda guy. Truth and justice first. But I do believe God chooses us for particular places and times, so it’s okay to focus on local loyalties like one’s family and home town or nation.
Whether your calling is in Sweden or Venezuela, you have certainly done good for those people. That you got the interview with the head Colectivo blows my mind. It was a remarkably honest and insightful interview too.
Do you mean the bit about Hezbollah? They have been mixed up with cartels in Mexico for years. But I don’t expect them to be a controlling faction in any civil war in the Americas. They are an influence and a problem, but not more powerful than the cartels. If they don’t control Venezuela, are they any more a threat to the US than their counterparts in Central America?
I can imagine President Trump ordering a limited number of American soldiers to Venezuela to train one faction or another. But I’m not sure Venezuela is still solid enough that we could secure its government now with an invasion, rather than further splinter the country with who knows what coming out the other side of the meat grinder. If Trump.is considering an overt presence there, does it make sense that he would do it as a sudden shock to US voters?
I suppose you could start explaining that military intervention is necessary to ensure the continued flow of outstanding shortstops.
If I could I’d send you a dozen baseballs as they may make excellent trading items.
We used to believe in “fighting wars there, so we aren’t fighting a war here“. But now that the disease of Islamism-Marxism-Nihilism are holding seats in our Congress and aided by a majority in the House, we are fighting a war here. And this does not feel like winning. I cannot imagine doing anything other than fighting a proxy war if any assault that puts Guiado in the capitol quickly devolves into a guerrilla war.
And the cognitive dissonance of fighting in Venezuela for a new nation while not addressing the invasion of our own country is like being hooked up to a small transfusion tube while bleeding out of an open main artery.
How the [redacted] have we gotten here? I like Victor Davis Hanson’s optimistic paean to American resilience, but how we survive all this is beyond me.
Be safe, Annika, our prayers are with you.
It’s my understanding that the Cubans are calling the shots in Venezuela, some 70,000 strong. The leadership of the Venezuela military is in Cuban hands.
And who controls Cuba?
It’s so very difficult to let go of ideas that we hold dear, such as the U.S. being the savior of the world. I’m not sure about that role anymore. Yet it would be tough for me to let go of it. I also think that the word about Venezuela has gone out substantially, thanks to brave folks like you and others. I just wonder if you might be reluctant to let go of your ideas about the role of the U.S., as well as the person who needs to report on Venezuela. You have a child, too, no? Does that factor in?
When I heard on the Ricochet podcast that Venezuelans would be happy to have the U.S. come in and save them I, too, thought that they got Chavez because they wanted someone to save them. They need to learn how to build their own nation and civil institutions, otherwise they are going to get right back into the same situation.
If the US destroyed the Cuban regime, would it have any effect on Cuban revolutionaries already in Venezuela? How much logistical support do they get from Cuba?
If ever there was an ideal battlefield, a small island nation within spitting distance of our production and deployment centers is it. That’s not to say we should invade Cuba. But if it would help with Venezuela and other concerns, it seems less of a challenge than securing Iraq, Afghanistan, or Syria.
I don’t see a path for US military involvement.
Hezbollah, the narco-gangsters, the collectivos, Cuban enforcers and the diehard Chavanistas now have a vested interest in tribal warfare and chaos. Indeed, the more acts of violence and brutality they commit, the more they cannot afford to have a government in place that could hold them accountable.
It is one thing for American soldiers to toss out an identifiable foreign oppressor so as to liberate an occupied people. It is quite another to wind up fighting for one faction in an all-against-all civil war.
How do you bring about peace and stable nationhood when a large, well-armed portion of the population wants neither? How do you rebuild an economy and a society instead of just sending a steady flood of aid to almost permanent refugee camps?
There is a chicken and egg problem in that we simply cannot create an broadly accepted new government by intervening (instinctive global and domestic condemnation of Yankee imperialism etc) but not can we intervene unless and until there is a viable political order to protect.
U.S. intervention would not be a quick fix for their situation. If enough support for a massive effort could be had, which I doubt, our military could very easily and quickly oust Maduro, expel the Cubans and help Juan Guaido take power. That would not solve many, if any, of their immediate problems. So, unless the American people are ready to commit to a long term military as well as private commitment in Venezuela aimed at helping them rebuild their civil institutions as well as a government that respects its citizens and works to build a prosperous nation, I doubt much good could come of it. I wish I could see that as a realistic possibility but I just can’t. So, while I deeply sympathize with the plight of the Venezuelans (no one really deserves such conditions due to having voted badly in the past), and though I see the strategic value of having a free and strong ally in Venezuela, I can’t be optimistic in the near term.
Maybe, at some point, if this kind of courageous reporting continues, these conditions in the U.S. can change. There is much work to be done here for that to become much of a possibility. I fault us for that, not the Venezuelans.
Annika,
Your reporting from Venezuela has been Pulitzer Prize worthy. You are truly amazing and brave. God bless you.
It seems to me that Venezuela has gotten the Venezuela its citizens wanted, voted for and demanded. Who are we to disrupt their destiny? As long as they keep their issues internal and do not export problems to others, specifically the US, I do not see a reason for us to spend blood and treasure there.
Venezuela long ago chose the path of allying their selves to Cuba, Russia, etc. I disagree with their decision but I respect it.
I think if foreign intervention is to be done in Venezuela you need buy in from other nations of the Americas. I don’t know who we could get, but if we could have a coalition of US, Canadian, Mexican, Colombian, Brazilian, Chilean, and Argentinian troops maybe something could be done. Of all the countries I list I think only Columbia might be up for it, given their own savage history with Narco Gangs.
What I would propose as a first step is to start sanctionig the regimes that support the Maduro Regime. I mean Russia and Cuba in particular (since they seem most involved directly).
Fidel’s baby brother, Raúl. And soon his children since Raúl is 87. The leading candidate his his oldest son, Alejandro Castro Espín. He runs the Interior Ministry and the Intelligence Services of the Cuban Armed Forces. His lifelong job has been to crush all dissent.
I still have a fondness for Pax Americana, and don’t mind America having more of a global policeman role than any other nation. I absolutely like the thought of us having a strong influence in our own hemisphere; I want as few hostile beachheads as possible in Central and South America.
In other words, at the very least I am enthusiastic about the U.S. providing substantial humanitarian aid to the people of Venezuela, as well as loud vocal support for a legitimate government. Beyond that — and this is one of those seemingly rare occasions when I’m in agreement with the Valiuth guy — I like the idea of leaning on those nations that support Maduro.
Taking a firm hand with Cuba would be a good start.
Be safe, precious Annika. But I wish you weren’t there. And I fear for the fate of a nice Jewish girl exposed to the Venezuelan thugocracy. Israel could really use a voice like yours. Wish you were here!
Yes, the devil is putting on a sweater I’m sure.
I also wonder if there is anyway to firm up the legitimacy of the real National Assembly in Venezuela.
Here is a good question if they muster up a local resistance and take over some region of the country in open defiance of Maduro. Would we consider it an invasion if we move in to the territory they control on their invitation? We wouldn’t be attacking Maduro, just sending troops to a friendly legitimate foreign government. Right now their own lack of tangible power I think limits our options. But if they actually had enough then they constiute the legitimate government of Venezuela. We wouldn’t be over throwing anything, but rather going in to uphold something. I mean technically we could claim that now too if they were to invite us. They are the recognized government of Venezuela.
In fact I think we should do all we can to get any Maduro appointed people out of any international organizations and committees and have them replaced by people nominated by the real Venezuelan National assembly. Maduros legitimacy needs to be undermined diplomatically at all points. Rightfully and truthfully he is the occupying force. Sadly might makes its own justice in a lawless world.