Among the surest signs of a society in deep crisis are persistent blackouts, the inability of a government to supply its citizens with power adequately and consistently. Outages signify neglect of critical infrastructure, warped energy markets, and regulatory corruption.
But what makes the extended, repeated blackouts in Venezuela over the past 20-plus years so extraordinary, and such a perfect metaphor for the darkness that has enveloped the Venezuelan people since Hugo Chavez came to power, is the Bolivarian Republic’s immense oil reserves. The story of how an energy powerhouse short-circuited over and over again presents a tragic and cautionary tale, told sensitively but assuredly in William Neuman’s excellent new book on Venezuela’s anguish, no fewer than eight chapters of which are simply titled “Blackout.”
