https://nacla.org/news/2018/05/18/united-states’-hand-undermining-democracy-venezuela
this is the most damning article i could find...and it basically blames u.s. sanctions for all of Venezuala's problems...
if a country is dependent upon good relations with the United States for it's continued existence, then perhaps it has deep, fundamental problems that it ought to deal with....how can a country call itself anything but a vassal state if it relies upon us to provide it it's basic needs? if it does not require our aid to survive, how can we be responsible for it's downfall, when we quit providing that aid?
IS Venezuela an independent country? if so, how can we be responsible for it's fate? there should be no country on the planet that will wither and die if we stop doing business with it...and any that will, deserve it, in my opinion.
This is all true. Though there is plenty of blame to go around. Hugo Chavez did wipe out the Venezuelan constitution and then assumed full control of all branches of government including diplomatic and the power to nationalize private businesses without fair compensation to the owners. After the price of oil fell and the Venezuelan currency fell with it, in 2010, Chavez started setting the price of the Venezuelan dollar by himself.
This created a classic problem of nobody really knowing how much anything is worth except certainty that the government set price was too low. Of course, people were unwilling to sell to the government's fixed rates -- for food, medicine for example. Meanwhile a black market expanded that sold those goods at hyper-inflated prices. I say this as a backdrop to what is going on today. To quote the article you cited:
The United States’ Hand in Undermining Democracy in Venezuela
Most devastating has been the dysfunctional exchange rate system, which has led to a worsening “inflation-depreciation” spiral over the past four years, and now hyperinflation. Free gasoline and price controls that didn’t work also contributed to the crisis.
Maduro inherited that dysfunctional exchange rate system from Chavez. In fact most of the problems Maduro inherited came from Chavez's earlier actions. The title of the article was unfortunate because although the body of the text is accurate, Chavez dismantled democracy in Venezuela by rewriting the Constitution in 1999. The new constitution gave Chavez full control of all three branches of government.
The Constitutional Legacy of Hugo Chávez
https://www.brookings.edu/es/opinions/el-legado-constitucional-de-hugo-chavez/ (use google translate)
How today’s crisis in Venezuela was created by Hugo Chávez’s ‘revolutionary’ plan
https://theconversation.com/how-todays-crisis-in-venezuela-was-created-by-hugo-chavezs-revolutionary-plan-61474
So, yes, the US has had a hand in all of this by it's reactionary attitude towards all things socialist. It has made things worse for Maduro by imposing financial and economic sanctions against Venezuela. That said, Venezuela's constitution give Maduro all the power to fix this if he wants to. He inherited a fucked up system but also has complete control of Venezuela's diplomatic, economic, military and industrial capabilities. Instead, he's clamped down on the people and the press in an effort to maintain control while their economy spins in downward spiral that continues today.
Imagine if Trump had Maduro's power? What would he do? It's my guess, he'd be raiding the treasury for all it's worth and his toadies would get into the act. It is true that Chavez's family is living quite the opulent lifestyle. Reports of their worth are not substantiated but it seems a lot of money has moved out of the treasury and into their hands. Probably Maduro's and other people's too. IMO, this explains his actions to stifle dissent and the free press -- he can't let this information become public knowledge because it would mean the end of him.
So, then, what should the US do? If you were president, what would you do? I think
@hotrodharley has it right. The US should stop meddling in Venezuela's affairs. We should end our sanctions, end our military threats, end monetary controls that prevent Venezuela from taking out loans and let the Venezuelan people end it when they reach the end of their patience. We should let Venezuela export oil to the US if there is a market for it. The only action we should take is offer food and medical assistance to refugees if the border countries allow. We should de-politicize aid when we make it available. We should make our diplomatic channels open to discussions with the Venezuelan government and not require concessions before talks. Above all we should stop threatening Venezuela.