If you need one word to describe Venezuela these days, it would be fearful.” That’s what one Latin American diplomat told CNN this week, reflecting on the strange atmosphere in the country.

Venezuelan opposition parties and their supporters are set to hold protests around the country on Thursday in an eleventh-hour effort to put pressure on President Nicolas Maduro, one day before he is due to be sworn in for his third six-year term.

Venezuela's government detained seven foreign nationals, including two Americans, in the latest escalation of tensions before President Nicolas Maduro's contested swearing-in ceremony on January 10. Making the announcement on state television on January 7,