Venezuela has quickly become one of the most heated global situations, and the tension shows no sign of relaxing.

Currently, there is a contested view of who is the leader of the country. Officially, Socialist leader Nicolas Maduro is the president of Venezuela, due to the results of a past election. However, many citizens of the country and leaders of the world see his presidency as illegitimate, due to the fact that he allowed no opponents from other parties to run. Although he lacks the general support of the countires civilian population, as well as the general support of the global community, Maduro still has allies in the Venezuelan Military, as well as leaders Russia and China.

The public opponent of Maduro is Juan Guaido, who has declared himself the temporary leader of Venezuela. He has the support of the Venezuelan public, as well as support from most Western powers. He encourages his supporters to continue protesting until Maduro has been removed from office and Venezuela can begin reforms to become a more democratic country. Currently, he is out of the country, due to threats on his life by Maduro’s government. However, he plans to return soon to continue fighting to oust Maduro.

Poor leadership has led to mass inflation and poor distribution of goods, creating a continuous spiral into poverty for most of the population. Due to the large population in poverty, many Venezuelans are either protesting or outright rioting in the streets against the socialist leader. Still others are fleeing the country entirely, seeking asylum in Mexico, the United States and Columbia, among other South American nations.

The United States has made its position very clear on the global stage. President Donald Trump has announced that the U.S. officially recognizes Juan Guaido as the interim legitimate president of Venezuela. They have sent supplies to the borders of Venezuela, only to be stopped by Venezuelan soldiers. Maduro does not want any help from the global community to pull his nation out of poverty, as thus has closed off any entry to Venezuela. In one attempt to bring food across, soldiers clashed with opposition fighters, leaving one truck on fire and many wounded. Not all protests against the government have been violent though. There have been several peaceful demonstrations of prayer and rallies in opposition to Maduro, although there has always been a heavy police presence.