(/ˌdɛpɹəˈdeɪʃən/)
Noun
1. A raid or predatory attack; an act of plunder.
2. An act of consuming agricultural resources (crops, livestock), especially as plunder.
… The story of the oil bonanza is inscribed on the land around Lake Maracaibo, and on the lake itself. It’s an enormous shallow estuary, five thousand square miles, in the hot, dry, northwest corner of Venezuela … Oil leaks from the pipelines shine in gassy, muted rainbows. The leaks have reportedly multiplied since Chávez nationalized seventy-six oil-services companies, in 2009. The government blames the leaks on “sabotage.” Far more likely, they stem from lack of maintenance and from the depredations of thieves, who work the lake in boats.
From the post: How Venezuela went from a wealthy South American country to a failing state
Source: Venezuela, a Failing State (newyorker.com)
