Analysis: Bolivarian Project

The Creators and the Creation: Review of “We Created Chávez: A People's History of the Venezuelan Revolution”

ewan — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:19:40 +0000

Todd Chretien – Socialist Worker.org

Todd Chretien examines a new book's insights into the Venezuelan revolutionary process.

Latin America’s Radical Left in Power: Complexities and Challenges in the Twenty-First Century

tamara — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:41:51 +0000

Steve Ellner - Latin American Perspectives

The democratic, peaceful road to socialism, which has been pursued by the governments of Venezuela, Bolivia and Ecuador and serves as an inspiration for much of the Latin American left, hardly represents a new approach.

Babette's Feast With the Refugees at PDVSA: The Real Importance of Maduro's Victory in Venezuela

tamara — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:31:45 +0000

Asa Cusack - Huffington Post

Following last month's elections, the legacy of Hugo Chávez was raked over the coals one last time, but the same old stats on poverty, inflation, and crime miss the real story.

Binary Visions of a Complex Leader or: What I Learned from Hugo Chavez

tamara — Wed, 08 May 2013 18:21:02 +0000

Barry Cannon - Open Democracy

Cannon writes, "All commentators with whom I had the pleasure to spar - I in the red corner, they in the blue - had three essential messages to transmit: beginning with the statement that Hugo Chávez was a tyrant - albeit - and said without the slightest irony - an elected one".

Maduro Wins Narrowly on Chávez Record; Close Election is a Wake-up Call for the Government

ewan — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 21:07:37 +0000

Mark Weisbrot – The Guardian

After a short but bitterly fought, insult-laden campaign, Chávista standard-bearer Nicolás Maduro defeated challenger Henrique Capriles, thus assuring continuity in Venezuela after the death of the former president, Hugo Chávez, last month. But the election was much closer than the polls predicted: a margin of just 1.6%, or about 275,000 votes.

What Will Venezuelans Be Thinking At the Ballot on April 14th?

ewan — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 02:10:12 +0000

Nicmer Evans - Aporrea

On April 14th we will once again determine the destiny of our homeland. However this election is very distinct, as we must do more than choose a president.

A Valuable Venezuelan Revolutionary Experience

tamara — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 15:19:51 +0000

Ángel Guerra Cabrera - Rebelion

El barrio 23 de enero is a solid bulwark of the Bolivarian Revolution. Originally named December 2 to evoke the date when the dictator Marcos Perez Jimenez came to power, its humble neighbors decided in 1958 to rename it with another date; his overthrow.

Thatcher is Dead—Long Live Chávez!

ewan — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 14:36:15 +0000

George Ciccariello-Maher - Counterpunch

Two deaths with diametrically opposite meanings, evident from the immediate responses they provoked.

Interview with Nicolas Maduro: "Until the Last Day, Chavez Wanted to Live"

tamara — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 21:42:16 +0000

Panorama

In this interview with Panorama, current interim president Nicolas Maduro told of his experiences with Chavez during his last days, the arrangements made afterwards, and how he himself coped.

Nicolas Maduro's Speech at the Funeral of President Hugo Chavez

tamara — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:56:32 +0000

Nicolas Maduro

Translated here is the moving speech Nicolas Maduro gave at Chavez's funeral. He discussed the importance of Chavez in history, and the legacy of tasks he leaves behind for his country.

Hugo Chávez and the Bolivarian Revolution: Legacy and Challenges

ewan — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:59:29 +0000

Manuel Larrabure – The Bullet / Socialist Project

The death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has prompted the international left to acknowledge two key features about him and Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution, writes Manuel Larrabure.

Interview: Alan Woods on the Future of the Venezuelan Revolution

tamara — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:44:35 +0000

El Universal, Alan Woods

El Universal interviews Alan Woods on the challenges for the Bolivarian revolution now, the state of the opposition, and the legacy of Hugo Chavez.

Chavez's Death, Like His Life, Shows the World's Divisions

chris — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 18:11:41 +0000

Mark Weisbrot - Al-Jazeera

People don't know the unique role Chavez played in bringing about the unity and second independence of Latin America.

Hugo Chavez, Internationalism and Revolution

chris — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 02:18:26 +0000

Luis Bilbao

Venezuela will carry weight in the world in the 21st century, just as it did in the hemisphere in the 19th under Simon Bolivar’s influence – but with even larger significance. That is the fruit of Hugo Chavez’s international policies over the last 15 years.

Chavez: the Man and His Dream

chris — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 21:55:46 +0000

JOSÉ PERTIERRA- CounterPunch

When Americans ask me why there is such an outpouring of emotion among Venezuelans over the death of this man, I point out that the ordinary people of Venezuela saw themselves in President Chávez. The President was a compendium of the very fabric of the country.

Estoy con Chávez, Soy un Chávista: Exploring the Political Appeal and Significance of Hugo Chávez

ryan — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:48:22 +0000

Samuel Grove - Ceasefire

The death of Hugo Chavez has produced a heavily polarised debate over his legacy. In a new essay for Ceasefire, Samuel Grove takes issue with the eagerness of the Western left to cloak Chávez in a liberal garb, and argues this is symptomatic of a deeper conservative ambivalence towards what Chávez represented: a unapologetic fighter and leader for the Venezuelan working-class.

President Chavez: A 21st Century Renaissance Man

ewan — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 03:03:01 +0000

James Petras

President Hugo Chavez was unique in multiple areas of political, social and economic life. He made significant contributions to the advancement of humanity. The depth, scope and popularity of his accomplishments mark President Chavez as the ‘Renaissance President of the 21st Century’.

Chavez Succeeded Where Obama Failed

chris — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 13:42:54 +0000

Shamus Cook

The late President Chavez steadily increased the crowds of people who came to hear him speak, year after year, election after election, rally after rally. The secret? Whereas President Obama could only speak about “hope” and “change,” President Chavez actually delivered.

What Chávez Left Behind: The Streets of a Continent and a Bolivarian Revolution of Everyday Life

tamara — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:36:43 +0000

Benjamin Dangl - Toward Freedom

Chávez captivated the stadium for hours, talking about baseball and Simón Bolívar, criticizing George W. Bush’s war in Iraq and congratulating Bolivia for recently ousting a neoliberal president in popular protests. Here was a president marked by the movements and politics that surrounded him.

Tariq Ali: Hugo Chávez and me

tamara — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:58:54 +0000

Tariq Ali - The Guardian

The late president of Venezuela, who I have met many times, will be remembered by his supporters as a lover of literature, a fiery speaker and a man who fought for his people and won

Mourning Chávez on the Web

ewan — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 01:36:47 +0000

The Putney Debater

It’s been fascinating seeing the response to the death of Hugo Chávez playing out on the web, for it not only confirms his status as a world historical figure, but because of the high symbolism of the event, which clearly exposes the fundamental ideological rift of our days.

From “For Now” to “Forever More”: How Venezuelans Said Goodbye to Hugo Chavez

ewan — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 23:58:14 +0000

Ewan Robertson - Venezuelanalysis.com

On Friday 8 March, millions of Venezuelans flocked to Caracas to pay their final tribute to Hugo Chavez. VA.com’s Ewan Robertson gives his eyewitness impression of the day.

50 Truths about Hugo Chavez and the Bolivarian Revolution

tamara — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 21:22:53 +0000

Salim Lamrani - Opera Mundi

50 ways Hugo Chavez had an impact on Venezuela and Latin America

In the Wake of Hugo Chávez’s Death: Prospects for Stability and Instability

tamara — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 16:47:06 +0000

Steve Ellner - The Progressive

With the death of Hugo Chávez, Venezuela faces the possibility of political instability and even disruptions, although there are promising signs as well.

Chávez and Sabino Show the Way

tamara — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 13:05:03 +0000

Roland Denis - Aporrea

Compañeros, the greatest libertarian teacher of the Venezuelan people has died, and two days earlier an equally important teacher… Chávez and Sabino show the way.

The BBC's 'Bogeyman' Narrative on Hugo Chavez

tamara — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 01:27:20 +0000

News Unspun

Today's BBC article by Jon Kelly, 'Hugo Chavez and the era of anti-American bogeymen', takes a particularly spiteful slant on the issue of what is presented as 'Anti-Americanism' in Chavez's stance toward US foreign policy.

Venezuela: Adiós Presidente

chris — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:05:15 +0000

Clifton Ross - Upside Down World

Chávez, whatever one may think of him or how his legacy will be judged, was a warm, charismatic, down-to-earth, entertaining, larger-than-life figure, part politician, part entertainer.

Venezuela With and Beyond Chavez

chris — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 12:52:22 +0000

Dario Azzellini - Upside Down World

Chávez was an ally in the construction of people’s power and creative building of a new world. This is the reason that while I am so sad with the passing of Chavez, I am also totally confident about the future of Venezuela.

Hugo Chávez kept his promise to the people of Venezuela

chris — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 02:37:27 +0000

Oscar Guardiola-Rivera - The Guardian

The late Venezuelan president's Bolívarian revolution has been crucial to a wider Latin American philosophy

Yo Soy Chavez, Tu Eres Chavez, Todos Somos Chavez

chris — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 23:47:05 +0000

Lisa Sullivan

The truth is, Chavez is my father, and he is the father of all of my Venezuelan compatriotas with whom I have had the immense privilege of sharing my life and raising my children for so many years in this beautiful and generous land. Twenty of those twenty-eight years have been defined, in great part by Chavez.