World Politics News   Articles for World Politics Course

A truce has been brokered between the Ukraine government and the protesters, but it is soon to tell whether it will hold.   The truce calls for new elections and a sharp curtailment of Presidential powers.  The truce came about after the situation had deteriorated into an outright civil war.   The protests are no longer about whether Ukraine will orient itself toward Russia or the EU;  it is now a struggle over the legitimacy of the Ukrainian government itself.

Meanwhile, the situation in Venezuela has also deteriorated into a civil war.  In this case, however, the government of President Maduro seems intent on organizing private militias to carry out attacks against the protesters.  Maduro has revoked the credentials of the foreign press, so we can only get information through unvetted conduits such as social media.   Venezuela, like Ukraine, is rapidly running out of foreign exchange reserves, so both countries will need outside assistance if they are to continue to import necessary items.   In both cases, however, the major sources of outside capital are all deeply suspicious of the corruption in both countries, making the process of getting aid very difficult.