Charallave, Venezuela
Venezuela last week began training ordinary civilians to fight a “war of resistance,” in case the country is invaded by the United States. Some 900 men and women signed up for a 20-week Territorial Guard boot camp, where they will learn to defend themselves and their communities if America attacks—a scenario the U.S. says is ridiculous. “Kill the gringo!” a soldier shouted at a trainee butting a straw figure with a rifle. “That gringo is taking away your women!” Besides the Territorial Guard, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has called for an Army Reserve of 1 million fighters.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Anne Hillerman's 6 favorite books with Native charactersFeature The author recommends works by Ramona Emerson, Craig Johnson, and more
-
How Zohran Mamdani's NYC mayoral run will change the Democratic PartyTalking Points The candidate poses a challenge to the party's 'dinosaur wing'
-
Book reviews: '1861: The Lost Peace' and 'Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers'Feature How America tried to avoid the Civil War and the link between lead pollution and serial killers
