Venezuela has been in a tailspin since former President Hugo Chavez died in March 2013. But in addition to the country’s visible economic and political deterioration, another crisis is emerging, perhaps less conspicuous but no less damaging: the rising tension between Venezuelan security forces and the pro-government patronage groups known as colectivos . Colloquially known as “the guardians of Chavez’s revolution,” colectivos are armed groups linked to the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) through patronage. They classify themselves as anti-imperialists and anti-capitalists. Though they profess their loyalty to Chavez, the colectivos started well before his presidency — emerging between the 1960s and 1980s as underground left-wing groups that were marginalized by Venezuela’s two-party political system. Despite being highly disorganized, the colectivos have managed to take advantage of the ruling party’s fragmentation and its weakened grip on power, bringing anarchy to the streets of Caracas. […]