MIAMI HERALD: Venezuela: Local protests with a global flavor.

As student-led protests are in their second week, the body count continues to rise. By some estimates, at least 13 people have been killed — some of them deliberately by security forces, opposition groups say. And while local media coverage has been muted, the protests are taking place in one of the most digitally rich environments in the hemisphere. Shaky images of violence clog Twitter accounts that are seen as quickly in Madrid as in Maracaibo.

Isadora Zubillaga, who handles international affairs for the opposition Voluntad Popular political party, said the globalization of the protests is directly linked with the deteriorating economic and security situation at home. Venezuela saw the region’s highest inflation and lowest economic growth last year. And it’s also among the most murderous countries on the planet.

Huh. According to a bunch of celebrities, it’s a socialist paradise.