Analysis: Participation

US Foes are Among the More Democratic Regimes in Latin America, According to their People

By Kevin Young - ZNet, Dec 13th 2010

Of the 18 countries surveyed, US foes Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia were three of the most "democratic," according to

On December 3 the Chilean polling firm Latinobaró metro released its annual public opinion poll of eighteen Latin American countries. The poll provides valuable clues about citizens’ views, and should be taken seriously in any assessment of Latin American political and social realities.

Review: Dancing with Dynamite - Social Movements and States in Latin America

By Federico Fuentes, Green Left Weekly, Dec 10th 2010

It should come as no surprise that Latin America, a region converted into a laboratory for ongoing experiments in social change, has increasingly become the topic of discussion and debate among the broader left.

Venezuela: Socialist Party Sets Out Plan for Consolidation

By Maryena Presa Velasquez - Green Left Weekly, Dec 7th 2010

Venezuela´s Chavez called on his party´s national leadership to be “self-critical, open, without fear or complexes of any ki

Chavez called on the PSUV national leadership to stimulate this debate at all levels. He said the party must be “self-critical, open, without fear or complexes of any kind”. The only condition he placed on the debate was that it must be a process of constructive criticism that strengthened unity.

South of the Ballot Box

By Todd Miller - NACLA, Dec 2nd 2010

A review of Beyond Elections: Redefining Democracy in the Americas (DVD, 2008) examines the documentary's look at radical democracy in practice.

Reform and Revolution in Latin America: Class Struggle will Determine the Outcome

By Jacqueline Villagomez - Party for Socialism and Liberation , Nov 23rd 2010

Since the election of Hugo Chávez in Venezuela in 1998, leftist parties or coalitions have won the presidencies in many Latin American countries. What these movements have in common is a strong rejection of imperialism and a firm support for the social, political and economic changes each of these countries is undertaking.

Venezuela: Interview with Socialist MP Maria León - "There is a Mass of Saboteurs within the State Machinery"

By Lucha de Clase, Nov 21st 2010

Newly elected MP of the PSUV in Aragua and ex-Minister for Women and Gender Equality, Maria León (VTV)

"If there weren’t so many bureaucratic hands in the State apparatus, stopping resources from reaching the people, we would have overcome extreme poverty." The newly elected MP of the PSUV in Aragua and ex-Minister for Women and Gender Equality, Maria León spoke with Lucha de Clases to draw up a critical balance-sheet of the September 26 elections, the sabotage of the Venezuelan oligarchy and the need for international solidarity with the Bolivarian Revolution.

Venezuela: Thousands Demand Passing of Radical Labour Law

By JANET DUCKWORTH – GREEN LEFT WEEKLY, Nov 17th 2010

Marchers carried banners such as this one that read, "New Revolutionary Labour Law Now! Vital Instrument for the Working Cl

More than 5,000 workers from across Venezuela marched to the Venezuelan National Assembly in Caracas, demanding a new labour law that would, "place in the hands of Venezuela’s workers the direction of this revolutionary process.”

How can we fight for a PSUV which serves the workers and poor?

By Lucha de Clases, Nov 5th 2010

After the alarm signals of the recent September 25 elections in Venezuela, a debate has opened up within the ranks of the PSUV as to why and how this could happen, and what needs to be done to strengthen and complete the revolution.

Venezuela's Cultural Revolution

By Neil Fisher - The Times, Oct 18th 2010

Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra with their acclaimed conductor, Gustavo Dudamel

It says a lot about the music scene in Caracas that within minutes of entering Venezuela's newest concert hall, I am already ignoring two world exclusives. Simon Rattle and Gustavo Dudamel, arguably the two most sought-after conductors in the world, are busy at work before my eyes.

Venezuela: Interview with ex-Minister of Trade Eduardo Samán - “Build a radical tendency within the PSUV”

By Lucha de Clases, Oct 15th 2010

Following the recent elections, Saman argues that there are only two possible scenarios: a radicalisation of the revolution involving a profound change in the PSUV and struggling against bureaucracy, or a kind of reconciliation on the part of the revolution with the right wing, without any significant change.

Venezuela’s Communes: Not as Radical as You Might Think

By Geoff LeGrand - COHA, Oct 13th 2010

Under President Hugo Chávez, Venezuela has been no stranger to controversy. However, one of Chávez’s proposals has evoked particularly strong emotions – the establishment of socialist communes (comunas socialistas) throughout the country.

Book Review: Who Can Stop The Drums? Urban Social Movements in Chávez’s Venezuela

By Matt Wilde - Alborada.net, Oct 12th 2010

The Venezuelan people and their cultures and struggles deserve more attention and should be the subject of more scholarly work in their own right. Who Can Stop The Drums? by Sujatha Fernandes is an excellent point of departure that should stimulate more explorations of this kind.

Inept Government Leadership Caused “Inadequate Triumph” in Elections

By Marea Socialista, Oct 8th 2010

Marea Socialista, a militant current within the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), analyses the National Assembly Election results, arguing that the bureaucracy within the government was a main cause of the “inadequate triumph”.

The Quiet Revolution: Venezuelans Experiment with Participatory Democracy

By Andrew Kennis - In These Times, Aug 10th 2010

Communal council assembly in Santa Rosa (Tamara Pearson)

Venezuela's communal councils are an effort to combat red tape and the corruption related to it. They are also the product of a long history of movement politics.

Communal Power in Caracas - An Interview with Wilder Marcano

By Susan Spronk, Jeffery R. Webber - The Bullet, Jul 7th 2010

We caught up with Wilder Marcano, director of the network of Comunas in Caracas, on the morning of June 18, 2010. He talked with us just before addressing a crowd of a few hundred representatives of different comunas from around the capital who had gathered to discuss issues related to building popular power from below in the poorest barrios.