On April 19, Venezuela celebrates the 207th anniversary of the start of its independence movement against Spain, prompting the democratic opposition against dictator Nicolás Maduro's dictatorship to organize marches in the streets of Caracas. The country remains under economic chaos, marked by severe shortages of food and medicine, hyperinflation, and an inept system of central planning controlled by Maduro's cronies in the armed forces. Last week, Maduro sent helicopters to drop tear gas on protesters. This week, he announced plans to provide arms to 500,000 members of an untrained militia with the intention of combatting what he considers an "illegal effort" to topple his regime. These policy choices, coupled with pressure from the Organization of American States' (OAS) increased effort to implement a Democratic Charter and the Supreme Court's coup d'état against the National Assembly, have increased tensions in Venezuela.