Does Maduro believe in the economic war?

David Smilde argues in an article published today that according to government insiders “Nicolas Maduro’s talk of an economic war is not a show used to distract followers. He actually believes the economy is being sabotaged by his national and international opponents.”

The strange “economic” announcements made on Wednesday may seem to many observers as either cynical or paranoid, but does Maduro himself actually believe the complex conspiracy explanation of an “economic war” he and other government officials have been progressively refining since August?

As I have argued before, conspiracy theories used by the government, from magnicidio warnings to sabotage claims, are more than just a campaign strategy. They are a central discursive component of a radical political understanding of the world. For a convinced socialist, increasing total State control of the economy is the right thing to do. It is an unavoidable step in the transition to a socialist society. If the government is doing what the text book says it is supposed to be doing, but things go wrong, there is only one possible explanation: wreakers and saboteurs are at work…