Perspective: Conspiracy TheoryConspiracy Theories Make Inroads in Venezuelan Politics

Days after the release of the Bachelet Report – the UN report which accused the Maduro government of using death squads to kill supporters of the opposition — the response from both Nicolás Maduro and his officials was to claim that the report was not based on the actual work of UN personnel, but was rather a document dictated by the U.S. special envoy for Venezuela, Elliot Abrams. Despite how predictable (and tiresome) it has become, the Maduro government’s repetitive use of elaborate plots and attributing Machiavellian-styled traits to its adversaries doesn’t come out of pure laziness; conspiracy theories have not just found their way into our political discussion for quite some time now, they’ve won acceptance.

Gustavo Hernández notes in Caracas Chronicles that Dartmouth College professor, John Michael Carey, recently wrote a paper titled “Who Believes in Conspiracy Theories in Venezuela?” which was published in the Latin American Research Review (LARR). One of the article’s opening paragraphs reads: “Across Latin America, Venezuela can stake a strong claim as the regional champion of conspiracy. In the past decade, the presidential administration of Hugo Chávez and then Nicolás Maduro have promoted political conspiracy theories at a staggering rate. These narratives are advanced by high government officials, up to and including the president, and they are promoted and disseminated by state news agencies.”