Though it took longer than that for these words to come to pass, Venezuela’s ruin was most likely far more spectacular than what Pérez Alfonzo had in mind. Over the course of two decades, the country went from democracy to dictatorship. Its government nationalized foreign-owned assets and began a dangerous sparring match with the United States — only to run out of cash when oil prices crashed. The economy collapsed amid hyperinflation, millions fled on foot and the entire country buckled under rafts of American sanctions.