Why, after all this time, is Maduro taking such a big gamble now?

As Venezuela's crisis deepens, conservatives in the United States and elsewhere are gleefully pointing to the disaster of Chavismo to warn of the dangers of “socialism.” And, with Spain's left-wing Podemos party apparently splitting and Greece's Syriza steadily losing popularity since 2015, even impartial observers might conclude that the “pink tide” of left populism is nearing a low ebb.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro oversees a display of the army's Russian hardware, with anti-aircraft flak and tank rounds pounding a hillside to show military force and loyalty in the face of an international ultimatum for new elections.