Venezuela Analysis: Opinion & Analysis

Which Way Venezuela?

Michael Albert - ZNet — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:54:40 -0430

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. By Michael Albert - ZNet

The Facts about the List of “Banned Candidates” in Venezuela

Francisco Dominguez - Dissident Voice — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:26:06 -0430

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. By Francisco Dominguez - Dissident Voice

Encouraging Steps Forward for Venezuela's Union Movement

Federico Fuentes - Green Left Weekly — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:21:03 -0430

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. By Federico Fuentes - Green Left Weekly

The Hard Battle for Socialism in Venezuela

Rafael Ramirez - Punto Final — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:17:18 -0430

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. By Rafael Ramirez - Punto Final

Ten Years On, Bolivarian Revolution at Crossroads

Nikolas Kozloff - NACLA — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 22:09:04 -0430

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. By Nikolas Kozloff - NACLA

Mercosur Confronts Global Crises

Federico Fuentes - Green Left Weekly — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:17:41 -0430

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. By Federico Fuentes - Green Left Weekly

Venezuela's Women's Development Bank - Creating a Caring Economy

Kristen Walker - COHA — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:44:01 -0430

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. By Kristen Walker - COHA

The Spectre of Socialism for the 21st Century Haunts Latin America

Michael Lebowitz - Links — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:44:19 -0430

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. By Michael Lebowitz - Links

Latin America Experts Condemn U.S. Detention and Search of Colombian Senator Piedad Cordoba

Various Authors — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:41:05 -0430

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. By Various Authors

Suitcasegate - A Politically Motivated Prosecution Directed Against Venezuela?

Revolter - BoRev.net — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:55:40 -0430

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. By Revolter - BoRev.net

Improbable Database Of A Farc Commander

Maurice Lemoine - Le Monde Diplomatique — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:49:30 -0430

Media attention following Ingrid Betancourt's dramatic release from captivity should not obscure a surprising revelation: laptop computers implausibly retrieved from an obliterating air raid on a Farc base in Colombia are being used to sour the country's relations with Ecuador and smear the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez, in western and Latin-American media. By Maurice Lemoine - Le Monde Diplomatique

A Rescue Staged for the Screen

Clifton Ross — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 15:00:53 -0430

Hopefully in the future media in the U.S. will follow suit with Diario Vea and Venezuelan news agencies and do a more critical analysis of the joint fabrications of the U.S. and Colombian governments. By Clifton Ross

Deconstructing Washington Post's Anti-Chávez Propaganda

Joe DeRaymond — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:47:32 -0430

Jackson Diehl, a Deputy Editor of the Washington Post, recently wrote a column under the title, “Venezuela's Chávez Fears Caracas Mayor” about Leopoldo Eduardo López, a mayor of Chacao, a district of Caracas, Venezuela. No evidence is presented in Diehl’s analysis that supports the claim of the headline. By Joe DeRaymond

Venezuela: Lies, Kidnapping and a Mysterious Laptop

Johann Hari - The Independent — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:37:39 -0430

Sometimes you hear a stray sentence on the news that makes you realise you have been lied to. Deliberately lied to; systematically lied to; lied to for a purpose. If you listened closely over the past few days, you could have heard one such sentence passing in the night-time of news. By Johann Hari - The Independent

President Chavez and the FARC: State and Revolution

James Petras — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:34:00 -0430

When President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela called on the FARC, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, to end their armed struggle and declared the ‘guerrilla war is history’, he was following a path taken by many revolutionary leaders in the past. Why did he do this? By James Petras

U.S. Military Looks to Colombia to Replace Base in Ecuador

Teo Ballvé - NACLA — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:29:05 -0430

An article by the Colombian weekly magazine Cambio suggests the U.S. military base in Manta, Ecuador, will be moved to a new location in Colombia after the U.S. military’s contract with Ecuador expires in 2009. The likely new host for the U.S. base is Colombia’s Palanquero air force base in Puerto Salgar, 120 miles north of Bogotá. By Teo Ballvé - NACLA

Venezuelan Recycling Workers Struggle for Justice

Tamara Pearson - Green Left Weekly — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:28:21 -0430

“Once they got their wages, [the workers] occupied the installations and demanded that the company go, then they occupied the offices and demanded that the administration of Sincreba [Merida Waste Incineration and Recycling System] retire”, Simon Rodriguez told Green Left Weekly. By Tamara Pearson - Green Left Weekly

Wilpert Takes Stock of the Bolivarian Revolution

Derrick O'Keefe - Rabble.ca — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:36:45 -0430

Wilpert has not just produced a comprehensive look at the social, economic and political transformation that has shaken the foundations of Venezuela over the past decade; he has also delivered a sharp rebuke to one of the trendiest, if dubious, political theories to appear on the academic left in recent years. By Derrick O'Keefe - Rabble.ca

Rich Nations Copy Venezuela's Anti-Gang Music Schools

Jorge Silva and Frank Jack Daniel - Reuters — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:44:10 -0430

Venezuela's youth orchestras and choirs have helped thousands of children resist thug life in some of South America's most violent slums, and now wealthy countries are lining up to emulate the system. By Jorge Silva and Frank Jack Daniel - Reuters

Amid Despair in a Venezuelan Prison, Strains of Hope From a Music Program

Simon Romero - New York Times — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 20:15:57 -0430

When Nurul Asyiqin Ahmad was taken seven months ago to her cell at the National Institute of Feminine Orientation, a prison perched on a hill in this city of slums on the outskirts of Caracas, learning how to play Beethoven was one of the last things on her mind By Simon Romero - New York Times

In the Land of the Master Chess Player

Clifton Ross - Dissident Voice — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 06:43:48 -0430

I’m in the land of the Master Chess Player, Franco reminds me. It’s sunset and we’re a few kilometers outside of Barquisimeto, Venezuela after a dizzying trip filming in just a small part of western Venezuela which took us, among other places, through the home state of President Hugo Chavez. By Clifton Ross - Dissident Voice

Open Letter to INTERPOL Regarding Statements on Seized Laptop Documents

Various Authors — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:38:34 -0430

An open letter from 17 academics to the Secretary General of Interpol, Ronald Noble, asking him to retract his assertion that the alleged FARC computers belonged to the FARC and that the files have not been tampered with. By Various Authors

Co-operatives Turn Idle Landed Venezuelan Estates Green

Humberto Marquez - IPS — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 10:23:52 -0430

"As far as you can see, there was not one litre of milk produced, not even an ear of corn," says José Tapia Coirán, turning with his arms outstretched, pointing to the horizon of the Venezuelan savannah dotted by trees. "Now we produce 500 litres of milk per day and we harvested one million kilos of maize."
By Humberto Marquez - IPS

Speaking with Hugo! author Bart Jones

Daniel Denvir - UpsideDownWorld.org — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:09:34 -0430

Bart Jones is the author of Hugo! The Hugo Chavez Story from Mud Hut to Perpetual Revolution. Jones lived in Venezuela from 1992 to 2000, working initially as a Maryknoll lay missioner and then as a foreign correspondent for The Associated Press. Daniel Denvir talks to him about the media, recent events, and his motivation for writing the book. By Daniel Denvir - UpsideDownWorld.org

Fellini's July 2008 Visit to Hugo Chavez

Aldo Vidali — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 15:54:36 -0430

Traveling from the other world, Federico Fellini is about to pay a visit to Venezuela's Villa del Cine to honor and support President Hugo Chavez's efforts to launch a socialist film renaissance for South America. By Aldo Vidali

Gap Between Latin America and Washington Still Growing

Mark Weisbrot - AlterNet — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:28:03 -0430

Washington's foreign policy establishment - and much of the U.S. media -- was taken by surprise this week when President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela stated that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) should lay down their arms and unconditionally release all of their hostages. The announcement should not have come as a surprise. By Mark Weisbrot - AlterNet

Transparency International's Wall of Silence on Venezuela's PDVSA

Calvin Tucker - 21st Century Socialism — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:06:22 -0430

What would you call an organisation that when caught making false allegations, refuses to answer legitimate questions or hold an investigation? Answer: Transparency International! By Calvin Tucker - 21st Century Socialism

Losing Latin America: What Will the Obama Doctrine be Like?

Greg Grandin - TomDispatch — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 22:40:18 -0430

Latin America has been indispensable in the evolution of U.S. diplomacy. The region is often referred to as America's "backyard," but a better metaphor might be Washington's "strategic reserve," the place where ascendant foreign-policy coalitions regroup and redraw the outlines of U.S. power, following moments of global crisis. By Greg Grandin - TomDispatch

Chavez Revising, Not Revoking Venezuela's New Intelligence Law

Stephen Lendman — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 11:28:39 -0430

Over the weekend, Chavez showed his mettle as a democratic leader. He acknowledged "errors" in the newly enacted Law on Intelligence and Counterintelligence and will fix them to assure it fully complies with Venezuela's Constitution. By Stephen Lendman

Chavez Revamps His Intelligence Services: The Corporate Media React

Stephen Lendman — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:21:34 -0430

Reports keep surfacing about new threats against Hugo Chavez. Given past ones, they can't be taken lightly. Chavez is alerted and reacts accordingly. Case in point: revamping Venezuela's decades old intelligence services. It's long overdue and urgently needed. By Stephen Lendman