Since 2006, Venezuela has had the highest homicide rate in South America and one of the highest levels of gun violence in the world. Former president Hugo Chávez, who died in 2013, downplayed the extent of violent crime and instead emphasized rehabilitation. His successor, President Nicolás Maduro, took the opposite approach, declaring an all-out war on crime (mano dura). What accounts for this drastic shift toward more punitive measures? In 'Deadline', anthropologist Robert Samet answers this question by focusing on the relationship between populism, the press, and what he calls 'the will to security.'.

Previously issued in print: 2019.