Venezuela

2min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

In 19 70, you were richer than spain, greece or israel. But do you to day ever look, say, at cutter or united arab rits to buy and think the problem actually was democracy? And that here are oil rich places that have stayed stable, in fact, but through autocratic rule. And that it's the intermediate situation that doesn't work. That when i live in a democracy, however, there has been great mismanagement due to misconceptions of the economyto a state led onomy.

As an inquisitive reader, books were a cherished commodity for Leopoldo López when he was a political prisoner in his home country of Venezuela. His prison guards eventually observed the strength and focus López gained from reading. In an attempt to stifle his spirit, the guards confiscated his books and locked them in a neighboring cell where he could see but not access them. But López didn’t let this stop him from writing or discourage his resolve to fight for freedom. A Venezuelan opposition leader and freedom activist, today López works to research and resist oppressive autocratic regimes globally.

López joined Tyler to discuss Venezuela’s recent political and economic history, the effectiveness of sanctions, his experiences in politics and activism, how happiness is about finding purpose, how he organized a protest from prison, the ideal daily routine of a political prisoner, how extreme sports prepared him for prison, his work to improve the lives of the Venezuelan people, and more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.

Recorded May 10th, 2022

Other ways to connect

Follow us on Twitter and Instagram
Follow Tyler on Twitter
Follow Leopoldo on Twitter
Email us: cowenconvos@mercatus.gmu.edu
Subscribe at our newsletter page to have the latest Conversations with Tyler news sent straight to your inbox.