Maduro Is Gone. Venezuela’s Many Problems Are Not.

U.S. officials argue that seizing control of Venezuela’s oil industry will unleash prosperity, but residents in Caracas remain skeptical. A one-way bus ticket costs $0.15 — roughly half the nation’s hourly minimum wage — illustrating the crushing cost of living. Despite leadership changes, hyperinflation and shortages continue to plague daily life.

The oil industry takeover plan aims to stabilize the economy, yet critics highlight decades of mismanagement and corruption as deeper barriers. Analysts note that without addressing systemic issues, symbolic gestures like removing Maduro won’t resolve Venezuela’s collapse. Street vendors and public transit workers emphasize that survival, not politics, dominates their reality.

While Washington touts economic reforms, locals face a broken system. A $10 billion U.S. aid package last year failed to curb black markets or food insecurity. Experts warn that without inclusive governance and debt restructuring, recovery remains elusive. For most Venezuelans, the revolution promised by outsiders feels distant, overshadowed by immediate struggles to afford basics.