Analysis: International

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.

U.S. Seeks to Get Rid of Left Governments in Latin America

tamara — Wed, 01 May 2013 19:54:33 +0000

Mark Weisbrot - CEPR

Recent events indicate that the Obama administration has stepped up its strategy of “regime change” against the left-of-center governments in Latin America, promoting conflict in ways not seen since the military coup that Washington supported in Venezuela in 2002.

Canadian Organizations Condemn Post-Election Violence in Venezuela

chris — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 02:22:24 +0000

Common Frontiers

We condemn the opposition-initiated violence against innocent supporters of President Nicolas Maduro as an attempt to destabilize Venezuela. In line with UNASUR, we call on the opposition to respect the will of the people and to recognize the results of the CNE.

Venezuela Faces a Soft War

tamara — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:11:34 +0000

David Segarra – Rebelion

Framed in a historical and political context, Segarra describes a soft war, a psychological and multifaceted war, waged by foreign interests and local elites against Venezuelans following death of Hugo Chavez.

The United States Shows its Contempt for Venezuelan Democracy

tamara — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 14:15:27 +0000

Mark Weisbrot - The Guardian

Washington's clumsy efforts to de-legitimise Venezuela's election mark a escalation of its push for regime change.

US Playing Politics Over Venezuelan Elections

chris — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 21:41:58 +0000

Lee Brown - Huffington Post

Nicolas Maduro's victory in the Venezuelan presidential election was narrower than anticipated. Nonetheless, it was clear enough. Yet the US government now seems to be playing politics with the outcome, emboldening Venezuela's opposition coalition by refusing to accept the results and trying to discredit Maduro's mandate.

Maduro’s Venezuela Remains an Inconvenient Example of Democracy

chris — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 22:27:42 +0000

Kevin Edmonds - NACLA

While it is understandable that the United States is not pleased with the outcome of the election in Venezuela given their economic interests, it does not give them the right to undermine the political process of a sovereign country.

'Number one US target': Oliver Stone calls media coverage of Venezuela 'shameful'

chris — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 21:36:57 +0000

Venezuela is the top target for US media, not to mention the State Department, legendary director Oliver Stone said at a special screening of his film on Hugo Chavez. Sunday's vote is a choice between two very different futures for Venezuela, he said.

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.

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.

Sins of Omission

ewan — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 02:02:06 +0000

Jason Hirthler – New York Times Examiner

The New York Times coverage of Hugo Chavez’ death was a bunker buster of misinformation.

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.

Fidel Castro on the Death of Hugo Chavez: We Lost Our Best Friend

ewan — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 21:14:02 +0000

Fidel Castro / Prensa Latina

The leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, has described late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez as the best friend the Cuban people have had in their history.

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.

Palestinians Mourn Chavez

tamara — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 21:41:53 +0000

Hazem Balousha - Al Monitor

The Palestinians loved Hugo Chavez because he loved them. They loved him for providing them with political support and for outwardly opposing US and Israeli policy.

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.

Outpouring of Solidarity Statements and Condolences for the Venezuelan People [+Photos]

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:54:34 +0000

Venezuelanalysis, Various

Expressions of solidarity and condolences have been flooding into Venezuelananalysis.com directly, as well as being put up on the internet and passed around on social networks. Here we include a collection of those expressions of solidarity that we have received or come across from activist and political groups and their representatives, as well as a photos of solidarity actions around the world.

Ricardo Haussmann – A Reliable Commentator for the Guardian on Venezuela?

ewan — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 17:18:56 +0000

Dr. Francisco Dominguez -Venezuela Solidarity Campaign UK

Last Monday the Guardian Comment is Free website carried a piece by Ricardo Haussmann on Venezuela entitled The legacy of Hugo Chávez: Low growth, high inflation, intimidation. But is Haussmann a reliable commentator for the Guardian on Venezuela?

Little Credibility: U.S. Coverage of Iranian-Latin American Relations

tamara — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 16:56:00 +0000

Michael Corcoran - NACLA

Last January, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took a weeklong tour of Latin America, visiting Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba, and finally Ecuador. In the U.S. media, where there are no two greater villains than Ahmadinejad and Chávez, it was not hard to predict that the coverage of the first stop on the tour would result in an onslaught of negative headlines filled with hysterics at what such a meeting could mean for U.S. national security.

Private Media on Chavez’ Health: 70 Days of Speculation and Necrophilia

ewan — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 14:57:30 +0000

Ewan Robertson - Correo del Orinoco International

It seems that while the “ominous voices” will continue to speculate on Chavez’s health and try to create the impression of a “crisis” in Venezuela where and when they can, the surprise return and apparent improvement of the Venezuelan president has demonstrated the falsity of many of their claims, highlighting 70 days of speculation and necrophilia as exactly that.

Letter from Fidel Castro to Hugo Chavez upon Chavez’s Departure from Cuba

ewan — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:16:27 +0000

Fidel Castro

Venezuelanalysis.com translates the letter written to Hugo Chavez by Fidel Castro just before Chavez’s return to Venezuela in the early hours of Monday 18 February.

Poverty and Progress: Comparing the US and Venezuela

ewan — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:34:21 +0000

Eric Draitser – Counterpunch

What does it mean to be “Third World” in 2013?

Venezuela: Women and the Health of a People

ewan — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 01:42:52 +0000

Jean Araud – Sur y Sur

The author examines how in little over ten years the Bolivarian Revolution has not only attended to the population sectors that didn’t have medical services in their communities, but now these sectors are also generating their own doctors.

South America: A Panorama of Media Democratization

ewan — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 17:13:16 +0000

Alexandra Hall - NACLA

Media in Latin America have traditionally been consolidated into the hands of a few wealthy families and large media conglomerates. Over the last decade and a half, however, several governments in the region, including Venezuela, Ecuador, Argentina, Bolivia, and Uruguay, have moved to democratize media.

Spanish Paper El País Makes a Fool of Itself

ewan — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 13:46:46 +0000

Hands off Venezuela

By printing an "exclusive" photograph purporting to show Chavez in hospital with a tube coming out of his mouth, which then turned out to be false, Spanish paper El País has made a fool out of itself.

At Mythology’s Door

ewan — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 03:46:14 +0000

William Ospina – El Espectador Colombia

In this much commented-upon opinion column published in leading Colombian newspaper The Spectator, writer William Ospina offers his view on the role of Hugo Chavez within what he terms “the Latin American story”.

Human Rights Watch Get it Wrong on Venezuela…Again

tamara — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 13:57:37 +0000

Ewan Robertson - Venezuelanalysis.com

In their latest intervention into the debate over freedom of expression in Venezuela, Human Rights Watch has once again got it wrong.

Hugo Chavez: Why Does He Hate Us?

ewan — Sat, 12 Jan 2013 20:31:33 +0000

Peter Hart – Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR)

If there's one thing media want you to know about Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, it's that he doesn't like the United States.

Venezuela without Chavez: A Possible Scenario

ewan — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 14:43:19 +0000

Roberto Lopez – Marea Socialista

The author argues that if Chavez is unable to continue at the helm of the Bolivarian movement for health reasons, the emergence of a new grassroots leadership will be necessary “to ensure the continuity of the revolutionary process”.

Obama Signals Four More Years of Bad Relations with Latin America [with video]

tamara — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 01:49:44 +0000

Mark Weisbrot - Al Jazeera

President Obama's crass comments about newly-elected Chavez only serve to further alienate himself from Latin America, argues Weisbrot.