Opinion & Analysis

Misrepresentations of Venezuela abound. Data is limited and people interpret it in quite contrary ways. Information deficit plus skewed interpretations cause many people who ought to support the Bolivarian Revolution to instead doubt or even reject it. Useful lessons from Venezuela go largely unreported and thus have less than their widest possible effect.

Sections of the Venezuelan opposition are opposing a decision by Venezuela’s Comptroller General, who has submitted a list of 386 individuals to be banned from standing for public office for (being guilty of) corruption and/or misuse of public funds. In fact, the Comptroller General is merely implementing existing legislation — a great deal of which precedes the Chavez government.

A series of recent events has opened up a new phase in Venezuela's labor movement. One of the most significant was the government’s decision to re-nationalise the Sidor steel works, one of the most important in Latin America, after an 18-month struggle by its work force.

In our country the issue of socialism is very complex. We have always been clear that there are no manuals or pamphlets that can resolve the numerous theoretical and practical problems that the socialist project puts in front of us. Similarly, there are no models, no revolution is identical to another.

In 1998, when he was first elected president, Chávez was viewed by many throughout the region as a kind of ideological throwback. But as social movements gained strength over the next several years and new progressive leaders took power in the neighborhood, Chávez seemed to be at the forefront of social struggle against corporate free trade.

In stark contrast to the thumb-twiddling of the G8 overlords, who decide on taking as little action as possible on climate change and the developing global food and fuel crises, the summit of the Common Market of South America (Mercosur) was one more demonstration of the role being played by Venezuela — together with other South American countries — in charting a way out of these crises.

What makes Banmujer unique is that it loans only to women; in fact, it is the only state-sponsored women’s micro-credit bank in the world. Since its inception on March 8, 2001, Banmujer has been commended for its successes in helping women escape poverty and in instilling a new economic model of cooperation instead of competition.

A spectre is haunting capitalism. It is the spectre of socialism for the 21st century. Increasingly, the characteristics of this spectre are becoming clear, and we are able to see enough to understand what it is not. The only thing that is not clear at this point is whether the spectre is real – i.e., whether it is actually an earthly presence.

The following letter was sent to members of relevant committees in the U.S. Congress today in reaction to the recent detention and search of Senator Piedad Cordoba of Colombia upon her arrival at JFK International Airport on June 27, 2008.

Since December, three Venezuelans and a Uruguayan have been detained in Miami without bail. Their alleged crime involves the supposed cover-up of the delivery of money between the Venezuelan and Argentine governments. Does it sound like something the U.S. justice system should be involved in? Probably not. Even worse, the U.S. case is sort of laughable.