Article

2004-04-16 Caribbean-Latin America

What Chavez Means for Democracy Around the Globe

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Posted by Super Hose 2004-04-16 01:19|| || Front Page|| [2 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 A must-read. This article is well written and clearly illustrates the problem in Venezuela: Hugo Chavez and the Venezuelan people do deserve enormous credit for sticking with democracy and non-violent means of retaking their government. I know if I was Venezuelan I would have taken up arms against Chavez a long time ago.

Posted by Kentucky Beef 2004-04-16 2:29:26 AM|| 2004-04-16 2:29:26 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Kentucky Beef, I liked the article and see parallels to how Putin controls elections. I would have loved to summarize it for entry into Rantburg, the blog of record, but I could figure out anything to trim. Chavez has always struck me as a colossal boob, but looking closely at the systematic method that he has used to deconstruct their democracy in such a short time is a real eye-opener.

Posted by Super Hose 2004-04-16 3:18:38 AM|| 2004-04-16 3:18:38 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 It is a tribute to the resilience of the Venezuelan people and their belief in democracy that, faced with a leader who relies on intimidation rather than deliberation, they are still willing to work through the democratic institutions that have been nearly obliterated.

When I recall a documentary made about the failed coup attempt in 2002, Chavez seemed to have full support of the lower class. Only the capitalists, entrepreneurs, and of course the media, saw the danger that Chavez posed. I'm not sure how the situation is now, but to say that Chavez is wildly unpopular is incorrect, I think.

Posted by Rafael 2004-04-16 5:01:09 AM|| 2004-04-16 5:01:09 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Rafael: The same thing happened in Panama in 87-89. The anti-Noriega elements were literally the Lions Club, the Rotary Club, Kiwanas, etc. They never could get the support of the poor, who saw the emerging middle class as European-blooded exploiters (not really true... many of the true entreprenuers were mixed bloods, not members of the criollo aristocracy that ruled the country since Balboa). Noriega used to pay off the poor with weekly grocery deliveries, etc.

The same thing is happening in Iran. There is a big divide between the Western educated elites and the poor and rural population. The Ayatollahs rely on "bazaar power." Student demonstrations are heartening, but until the folks who shop and sell at the bazaars get tired of the black hats, they aren't going anywhere.

Posted by 11A5S 2004-04-16 12:43:41 PM|| 2004-04-16 12:43:41 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 Raf or 11A, were you as surprised as I was at how a guy who comes off as a real nut-case has demonstrated such an effective methodology for creating his repressive regime?

Posted by Super Hose 2004-04-16 1:12:25 PM|| 2004-04-16 1:12:25 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 Hi SH: Given that I lived through most of the Noreiga fiasco, I really wasn't all that surprised. Latin America is a racist place. (Note to LH: yes, Costa Rica and Chile are exceptions) Tiny percentages own most of the land and the middle class has a tenuous hold in the cities only. If you're poor, the only upward mobility path is often the Army, the police, or crime (some would say that they are all the same thing). Guys like Noriega and Chavez exploit this. They're mestizos (Noriega grew up in a slum), and know how to work the race angle and "poverty pimp." I honestly think that Noriega could have kept Panama under his control indefinitely if the US had not intervened. IMO, Lula in Brazil is the same sort of politician, though not as willing to usurp civil rights.

In Iran, the Ayatollahs use the same tactics. They provide upward mobility paths for poor kids. Sure a poor kid can go to the university and get a degree, but guess what? There ain't no job fair before graduation. IBM and GM aren't lining up to look at your resume. So it's off to Qom or join the RG or Basiji.

Posted by 11A5S 2004-04-16 2:01:35 PM|| 2004-04-16 2:01:35 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 The funny thing in the documentary that I saw was the slogan that Chavez used to rally his supporters, "Respect the Constitution" or "Respect for the Constitution". Of course, by this time it was his Constitution.

Posted by Rafael 2004-04-16 5:06:37 PM|| 2004-04-16 5:06:37 PM|| Front Page Top

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