Delano D’Souza is pleased to welcome Christopher Sabatini, Senior Research Fellow for Latin America, the US and the Americas program at Chatham House. Sabatini argues that Venezuela’s earthquake is not simply a natural catastrophe but a political and institutional one. He contends that the scale of the disaster reflects decades of state erosion, corruption, economic mismanagement, and weakened rule of law that left the country structurally incapable of responding effectively. While the interim government faces immediate scrutiny over its crisis management, Sabatini suggests that the roots of the tragedy extend far beyond the current administration, exposing the cumulative costs of twenty seven years of institutional decline.