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It's unclear what Venezuela's government meant by its claim of an electromagnetic attack. There are weapons that can deliver an electromagnetic pulse that could fry circuitry in a power plant, similar to the way a lightning strike could damage computer equipment. But it's highly unlikely that those with the capability of using such sophisticated weapons would do so, some experts said, adding that a cyberattack would be more likely.
originally posted by: ketsuko
a reply to: Malisa
More likely the US contributed by starting to mine our own oil. You can add Canada into that. Between shale oil and fracking, OPEC's monopoly lost its grip, and they started to lower their prices drastically to try to starve out new industries. As a part of OPEC, Vanazuela had to follow along with their oil pricing, and when your entire economy depends on oil, bad things happen to it when the bottom falls out of that market.
Smart central planners diversify so such things can't happen, but neither Chavez nor Maduro after him were smart enough to do that, and they compounded their problems by seizing more and more control rather than seeking to diversify their ecomomy so that other things could prop it up until oil could rebound. In the meantime, their oil infrastructure crumbled under corrupt and inept management, so that they no longer produce effectively.
This is the same sort of problem you see in other central control command states.
originally posted by: LookingAtMars
Opposition rallies as Venezuela blackout eases in some areas