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By Global Public Square staff
For 14 years, Hugo Chavez has been a troubling global presence. He has been an avowed critic of American capitalism…and yet he has generated billions selling oil to the United States. He’s a populist, whom some revere but others despise. One thing's for sure, Venezuela’s president is a fighter: last year it seemed he had even defeated cancer.
But the cancer is back, and Chavez has been said to be seriously ill. So when he couldn’t attend his own swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, it sparked a natural set of questions in Venezuela and around the world: what's next?
Whoever inherits the presidency, Chavez will cast a long shadow.
Look at his record. On the one hand, the poorest are actually better off. According to the Center for Economic Policy and Research, poverty has declined by 50 percent since 2004. Extreme poverty has declined by 70 percent. Over the same period, college enrollment doubled, and millions of Venezuelans gained access to health care. Many are getting free housing – Chavez announced on public television last year he would build two million homes for the poor.
But look deeper, and you’ll see that the programs that created these gains are built on the oil boom, badly designed, and damaging the Venezuelan economy. The economy is in shambles: Barclays Research puts Venezuela's annual fiscal deficit at nearly 20 percent of GDP, one of the highest imbalances in the world. Total debt has more than doubled since 2008. And that’s despite the fact that Venezuela has the greatest proven reserves of oil in the world – more than Saudi Arabia, Iran, or Canada. When Hugo Chavez first came to power in 1999, oil was trading at just $11 a barrel. Today it is trading at $111 a barrel. Chavez has presided over the greatest windfall in his country's history. And yet Venezuela is probably the only petro-state in the world where people regularly suffer power outages. Infrastructure is crumbling. And public security is abysmal: Venezuela has one of the worst homicide rates in the world, worse even than Colombia, Honduras, or Mexico.
More from CNN: Uncertainty reigns in Venezuela
A recent Foreign Affairs essay pointed out that Venezuelan exports to the U.S. from the start of Chavez's rule through 2011 added up to nearly $350 billion. That is ironic for a presidency that marketed itself as anti-American. But even that trend may be reversing. According to a Financial Times report, for every 10 barrels of crude that are exported to the United States, Venezuela now needs to import two back, because it lacks refining capacity, which has been made worse by a recent explosion at a Venezuelan refinery. In other words, America is selling oil to Venezuela! Meanwhile Chavez continues to ship a reported 100,000 barrels of subsidized crude to Cuba, everyday.
Venezuela's people have gotten used to tall promises: free housing, essentially free gasoline. But increasingly, the state cannot afford it. It is popular to be anti-American, and yet the money has been coming from Washington. Cuba remains a staunch ally, but if it stops receiving cheap oil, it will pull out its tens of thousands of doctors from Venezuela, which will destroy Venezuela's healthcare system.
All these years, a popular Hugo Chavez has been masking all these fundamental flaws in his economy using oil wealth. But the problems are building. The next leader of Venezuela will face the buildup of all these problems, and probably without Chavez's charisma and guile.
If you think balancing the budget in Washington is difficult, spare a thought for what Caracas will have to do in the coming years.
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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I think Mr Zakaria should do more on his research before publishing some of his figures at least I know surely that even though he mentioned 'probably', Nigeria's case (a petro-state like Venezuela) is far worse in terms of infrastructure!
I totally agree with you. I'm a Nigerian too. See my post below (Chuk).
The author also falsely states that Venezuela's homicide rate is worse than Honduras, when it is not even remotely close to doing so. Very shoddy reporting here.
Whoever comes after Hugo Chavez, let's just hope that he(or she) won't cave into the selfish interests of the right-wing thugs in Washington. There are already far too many people doing precisely that!
I don't understand why Central and South America are always so messed up. They should be as prosperous and stable as the US and Canada. They need to do some cultural soul searching and figure out what they're doing wrong.
I won't hold my breath. They'll blame "the yankees" again and continue as they always have.
Maybe, but we've given them a lot of material to use for the blame. Why would they ever trust our intentions?
The "Yankees" are to blame for some of the problems there, just take a look at some history books. But not all, obviously.
Corruption is the reason why there are so many problems. We are heading the same way in the USA
Everybody knows whose after Chavez. Sean Penn.
". According to the Center for Economic Policy and Research, poverty has declined by 50 percent since 2004. Extreme poverty has declined by 70 percent."
These figures look more than exaggerated. The reality shows that squatters settlements have almost double, lack of housing jumped from 1,5 million in 1999 to 3 million in 2012. Probably the poor is getting some bonuses once in a while, especially during elections periods, but the habitat conditions of the poor are in most cases worts than ever. Every "Social"effort by the chavez regime has followed a specific populist goal, once the goal is achieved, the social program is abandoned. This happened to the "Barrio Adentro" program, consisting in providing a small first aid health center in every barrio ( squatter settlements) This program was created to win chavez confirmation in power in 2001…after few years more than 2500 of these centers were shut down…abandoned. Most of them were served by Cuban "Doctors" that knew of medicine like a butcher does. The excess of money and corruption, buys the most reputable sources… including OEA
Agreed – I'm Venezuelan and can say that a 50% decline in poverty and 70% decline in extreme poverty would mean the very visible "ranchos" (slums) would have been more than halved. Far from that, they continue expanding and becoming their own small cities where there is no law – not even the police dares enter some of them.
The publishing of these clearly absurd numbers damages CNN's reputation and reliability... Mr. Miks, what is your source and did you not fact check it or even question this data??? Unbelievable. You don't need to have a degree to realize those proportions are completely ridiculous.
Making stuff up is Zakaria's specialty. As for CNN's reputation – they don't have a good one anyway (along with the majority of the media).
Let's hope that whoever comes after Hugo can help correct the economy that Hugo and his pals have killed.
I am also a Venezuelan and I agree with loaqlo. The poor continue to be stripped of everything and the numbers continue to grow. During elections people are bribed, threatened, and the fear of God put into them if they don't vote a certain way. I cannot believe that the Western world actually buys into the charade.
Fareed, not all poor are better off under Chavez. His government had implemented a number of "missions" or social programs, including education and health services for all. But poverty and unemployment are still widespread, despite the country's oil wealth.
No doubt Chavez will be missed at home. Who could beat him, when it comes to wasteful generosity and entertainment? He used his weekly live TV program, Alo Presidente (Hello President) to talk about his political ideas, interviews guests and to sing and dance.
Stealing someone's money and giving it to another person is not generosity.
Oh wait, Steal from rich, give to poor? Isn't Obama doing this in the US?
Truth of the matter is that the only people who have a rightful stake in the governing of Venezuela are...Venezuelans. The country IS a democracy and it's people have made their rightful choice. Take a wild guess where the people of Venezuela would put the preferences of U.S. citizens where the running of their government and economy are concerned.
Thanks Jorge !!
The best trick made by the modern communists has been to make an elecction every three months and thru brives and coohertion keep the same people in power and call that a democracy...
And the best trick of people in your position is to call any election for which they do not like the result "rigged" or "fixed".
"And yet Venezuela is probably the only petro-state in the world where people regularly suffer power outages." WRONG! Go to Nigeria, you'd see what power outages feel like.
At least, there are some programs in Venezuela that tries to make the oil revenue get to the people. In Nigeria, there has never been such programs since the late 1960s when oil was discovered there. All due to abject incompetence and corruption by the country's "leaders". Bye the way, I'm a Nigerian (not some foreigner bad-mouthing the country). The leadership there is, and has always been, almost completely useless – very corrupt and totally incompetent.
They already have Maduro picked. Another man with no education to run a country with no future...
Whoever comes after Chavez is none of your business. Make sure you have no homeless in the USA before pretending to care for others.
Who comes after Chavez????? Al-Qaeda.......with a powerful military that Venezuela has....and lots of oil money.....we are in deep ka-ka.
Yeah Sure. The non-arab secular/Christian Venezuelans will allow Al-Qaeda to travel all the way from their home in the middle east to take over their South American country. Without a sympathetic population to hide in, Al-Qaeda is nothing, and you are scared of shadows.
Wow, you guys always see the world in very simple terms. In the 50s to the 80s, everything bad was communism. Now we've moved on to Al Qaeda. Could you try to see the world as the complicated place it really is? It's not a cartoon.
Look, this is nuts, politically. There's no way Al Qaeda would have any influence in Venezuela.
What do you expect from us, we elected Bush.
I’m throwing a big party the day he dies!!! he has ruined my country
As a Cuban, I am with you Mariann. If it wasn't for that stupid monkey, the Castro regime may have already fallen. I have no sympathy for the guy. I think the other monkeys around him are going to have a hard time hanging on to the spoils. Hope most of them end up hanging from a tree somewhere. Chavez always had cancer between his ears, it just spread to the rest of his body. Unfortunately, he has by himself, changed the image of what a Venezuelan is for the rest of the world,
.
I am quoting Fareed, about Venezuela: "poverty has declined by 50 percent since 2004. Extreme poverty has declined by 70 percent. Over the same period, college enrollment doubled, and millions of Venezuelans gained access to health care. Many are getting free housing – Chavez announced on public television last year he would build two million homes for the poor."
Ah yes, let's here from the rich folks who laughed for 50-100 years are hundreds and thousands of their fellow countrymen were murdered by the rich, right wing, American-sponsored facist dictator's.
Sorry folks, but Fidel Castro is a true hero who freed Cuba from their Hitler, and Chavez pretty much did the same thing.
I'm not a big fan of communism, but it is a hell of a lot better than government genocide. Stay in Miami Cubans – you are the Tea Party of Florida.
Only someone with very low information would call Castro or Chavez a hero... I feel sorry for that type of people and I fear their mentality
As Venezuelans will soon learn as their economy continues to crumble, there is much more to properly running a country than throwing money at the poor and making raucous speeches. If Venezuelans want a socialist country, that is their right and privilege, but they will need to find and elect some leaders who know how to do at least that in an intelligent fashion.
venezuelan's didnt chose chavez after the first period, you have to be a foreigner to believe that, there is no democracy in venezuela and it's been that way for 14 years, people just dont see it unless you live there, I am from venezuela and left presicely because it was becoming comunist, education is horrible now, who can believe a person can become a doctor with specialty in surgery after only 2 years of school when you dont even learn how to read correctly?! chavez is the worst thing that could happen to my country and i hope he is in lots of pain until his last day on this earth. he's ruined so many lives in 14 years that he deserves to die in pain
I am wondering what is more important here: having drastically decreasing poverty, free medicare, education and housing. What is bad with that? That is what every country should do if it can afford it.
Humans are more important than the quality of the oil industry, is it not? As long as all these social reforms do not
turn into a socialist fiasco at the end like it happened before (is it unavoidable?)
They can have Obama. He will probably be resistant to giving up his dictatorship here.
If you take Chavez's name and replace it with Obama it sounds like Obama, a man trying to buy votes with free programs.
Populist, come back to us in 2 years, when the truth about what is really going on in Venezuela has become apparent to the world. I almost bet you will have changed your Avatar's name by then,
. You probably believe that the Cuban government is also doing right by its people and that the people there actually want that government to continue right? Easier to believe that a country's people chooses to have the same family in charge for 54 years than to accept reality for naive people like you.
Current Cuban government is by no stretch of imagination a good option for Cuba. Since you are Cuban, I'd like to ask you, do you really think the previous dictatorship (which was really serving the masters from the US and not the interests of the people) was a better alternative? Sooner or later Castro will go away and hopefully some day also the form of government. I truly hope Cubans transition into a society governed by something that's nothing like what it is now, but also nothing like what it was before Castro. You guys have amazing country, people, and culture and I'd hate to see it becoming another satellite of the US (or anyone for that matter).
Venezuela used to be a vacation spot 20-30 years ago. With the way it is now, you couldn't pay me to go there. Seems like tourism a better way to make a buck then they way they've been going about it these past 20 years.
I think it still is, I have friends who live or went there and based on photos and their stories, it looks amazing. Unless you are a fat American who wants to be enclosed in a 5-star resort where they lay by the pool and keep stuffing their mouths with food and drink without ever leaving, then maybe. I can't wait to go!
again... low information people.... Venezuela vacation destination... sure!!! if you like high risk adventure
Poverty has declined by 50 percent since 2004. Extreme poverty has declined by 70 percent. THAT is not true!!!!!!!!!!!!. Actually there is even more poverty than before. Having really bad health care does not mean that they are not poor any more. Inflation since 2003 it is been more than >>>800%<<< : can someone explain how is that possible?<<... The socialist economic model is unsustainable an it is design to brain wash and to get the votes of the poor people . Nothing else! . That government strategy is to keep the people poor and to keep getting the votes. Remember that Chavez use all the government money to support any election.
It is amazing that so many people take the stats in this article as gospel. The fact is, the poor in Venezuela are much better off than when Chavez took office. Poverty was not created in 20, 30 or 100 years, it has been there from the beginning of time and I suppose it will be there till the end of time. Chavez is not perfect, but he has made life better for millions of his people. No country is without problems. Here in the US, we are experiencing record levels of poverty and we have a capitalist system!! The truth is, if you have been to Venezuela prior to Chavez, you would have seen grinding poverty that millions were subjected to. It is crazy to say poverty is worse now that before. Those who say that probably never went to Venezuela or any third world country. Forget these phony stats!!! Every country in the world have some level of poverty, not just Socialist ones...Get well soon El Presendente........
When economic models are unsustainable it is bad for all social classes mostly for the poor people. Venezuela imports about 70 percent of its food, most of which now comes from the United States, Brazil and Argentina. The China Development Bank has lent Venezuela $42.5 billion because the country was broke even with high oil prices. Corruption and crime is everywhere. Thanks to Mr Chavez's social programmes, poorer Venezuelans have certainly benefited from the country's oil wealth more than they did under what he has called the rotten elites that used to be in charge, but that does not mean the economic model he applied is sustainable nor the poor people are going to move to a better social class. When that model collapse all social class will suffer and Venezuela will have to change or collapse.
The jury is still out as to whether the economic policies of the Chavez government will work. I believe it is sustainable because it reaches the vast amount of the Venezuelan people. Crime and corruption are two elements that are very difficult to overcome in the Third World because of the lack of the rule of law. This culture of respect of the law has to be achieved over time in any society. The US at certain parts of its history was viewed as lawless (20's and 30's) when gangsters ran cities. But over time, the society matured to where these lawless elements were confronted and at least were not allowed to operate with impunity!! I suspect it will take Venezuela some time to get to that level of respect for the law. All emerging countries has issues of corruption and crime to address your concerns. Criminal activity is influenced by two basic factors, people in poverty and people with criminal minds. These people can be found all over the world not just in Venezuela....they are even in the mighty USA!!!
My family is Venezuelan, and you are full of crap! Venezuelans are poorer now than ever, except those who don't feel like working and those who are total crooks. The "Free medical care" is a sick joke, the "free education" is watered-down garbage laced with communist propaganda. The middle class is rapidly disappearing, violence in the streets is endemic and armed gangs rule with guns supplied by the government. Americans know pathetically little about what it is like to live under this regime. Please shut up until you can come down here and stroll through the barrios...you might actually live long enough to change your mind!
You right-wing guys are just pizzed off because you can't control all the resources in Venezuela for yourselves. If the government before Chavez was so good, poverty was low and all the problems you listed in your comment did not exist, why did the vast majority of the Venezuelan people supported and continue to support Chavez? I will be the first to say he has made mistakes, which government has not? But corruption was and still is a problem for ALL countries not just Venezuela. Chavez cannot correct decades of the rich exploiting the poor in 14 years!! He is not looking out for the elites, he is working to make the average man's life better. Like Obama, he cannot clean up other people's mess that took decades to create in a few years!!! I guess you will be happy to return to military rule or dictatorship so you can continue to exploit the country's resources for the privileged few!!!
Venezuela is governed by a dead man, Cuba is governed by a dead man’s brother and Argentina is governed by a dead man’s wife ... This is fantastic for Latin America!!!
Riquin: you are absolutely right... but people on the left don't understand that.
Armed Forces kill Terrorists in Daraa
A unit of Armed Forces destroyed a convoy of terrorists' vehicles and seized two cars in Tal Mtawaq near Inkhel in Darra countryside, in addition to arresting a number of terrorists.
An official source told SANA reporter that the Armed Forces confiscated several types of weapons, including tens of thermal rockets, three AGC launchers, an 82mm cannon, a mortar launcher and machineguns, anti-aircraft guns and assault rifles.
Armed Forces Eliminate Terrorists in al-Rastan, Homs Province
An Armed Forces unit carried out an operation in which heavy losses were inflicted upon a terrorist group in al-Rastan area in Homs province, injuring a number of terrorists and killing others including the group's leader Mohammad al-Dali.
Its so funny how Americans think they have it bad with Obama, I dont agree with Obama but there is no point of comparison to Chavez, for does Americans that think Chavez has done a great job and the poor now have housing and free medical care please i invite you to go to Venezuela and see the reality!! you cant find meat or chicken at supermarkets, we have power outages every day, we have more violent death in a weekend than in war zones. But no everything is just great. We have no democracy and i hope Chavez is in a very bit of pain he deserves and dies a slow an painfull death this is the only person on earth i wish this for. I had to leave my beutiful country because of him!!! So please people that reallything Venezuela is just great please go for a week and them tell me how great it is.
Sounds like obama...he's trying to buy the nation by giving a free ride to many. As Thomas Jefferson said; - Thomas Jefferson
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would
not."
I guess to you right-wingers, if making sure people who PAID INTO Social Security get their benefits in return, that is a bad thing (the president is giving away stuff). Kids that are given a opportunity to pay less interest on student loans by cutting out the middleman (greedy banks) that s a bad thing also (the president is giving away stuff) If famalies do not have to go broke because there is an illness in the family (Affordable Care Act) that i a bad thing....that all the stuff Obama is giving away....or I am sure you would rather spend money on invading Syria, Iran and North Korea for starters...then Cuba and Venezuela and oh, yeah Russia....you guys are nuts!!!
They would love to go to wars, but never pay for them. We already have two wars paid on the credit card. Their idea of paying bills is taking resources from the least fortunate in the society. Too bad nobody buys their crap anymore.
You should not quote Thomas Jefferson when talking about work. He would not know anything about that. I guess you need a history lesson. He never worked a day in his life, he had his SLAVES to do his work!!!
Yep. Just like the Mayan slaves in taco land.
I think Sean Penn is next in line and Danny Glover is going to be the vice president.
I don't understand why Central and South America are always so messed up. They should be as prosperous and stable as the US and Canada. They need to do some cultural soul searching and figure out what they're doing wrong.
I won't hold my breath. They'll blame "the yankees" again and continue as they always have.
What they do wrong is in their very culture...my wife is Latina and she explained it to me. It is all about Machismo and the immaturity of the Latino male. They are raised to act like 13-year-olds, and arrogant spoiled ones at that, and they never get beyond the "me-first" stage.
Interesting thesis. Did she explain to you why their females raise them that way? I'll make a wild guess and you tell me what you think– could it be because women like men who are like that?
If she is a true Latina she would have been in a donkey show.
"Populist" is not the word ... "Demagogue" is more accurate. A wonderful quote from the Federalist Papers (No.1, Hamilton); "History will teach us ... that of those men who have overturned the liberties of republics, the greatest number have begun their career by paying an obsequious court to the people; commencing demagogues and ending tyrants."
Five of the top ranking chineses in the Communist Party are accused of genocide, they can be captured in USA and other countries, Spain is teaching how the law works against this guys.
Ahora sigue Calderón y Fox, eso espero. I hope that it will continue against Calderon and Fox
Cinco más alto cargo del Partido Comunista de China ha sido acusado por los delitos de genocidio y persecución contra los practicantes de Falun Gong en un tribunal español.
Entre ellos se encuentran el ex líder del Partido Comunista Jiang Zemin. Él era el autor intelectual del lanzamiento de la campaña brutal para "erradicar" a Falun Gong práctica de la meditación en 1999.
Jiang invita a las sentencias y los demás procesados 4 a 6 semanas para responder al juez acerca de su testimonio. Si no, van a ser extraditados. Ellos serán arrestados si se viaja a una de las decenas de países que tienen tratados de extradición con España, incluyendo a los Estados Unidos. Teóricamente, cuando se produce, entonces será enviado a España para conferencias cara y condenado a 20 años de prisión.
Además de Jiang Zemin, de oficinas de cuatro presuntos otro es:
– Luo Gan, jefe de la "Oficina 610", unidades de las fuerzas nacionales de policía secreta;
– Bo Xilai, secretario del partido actual Ministro de Chongqing y ex de Comercio;
- Jia Qinglin, miembro del líder supremo de la jerarquía del partido en cuarto lugar, y
- Wu Guanzheng, jefe del comité interno disciplinario del Partido.
El 13 de noviembre, la Audiencia Nacional española juez Ismael Moreno dijo el abogado Carlos Iglesias de la Fundación Ley de Derechos Humanos de que el tribunal había concedido una petición para procesar a los acusados.
[Carlos Iglesias, Abogados, Fundación de Derecho de los Derechos Humanos]:
"Esta decisión del juez español, me refiero a realmente abrir la puerta para que otros países de todo el mundo a participar en esta investigación y llevar a los crímenes cometidos Partido Comunista de China genocidio de Falun Gong a la corte para el juicio."
Iglesias dice que la evidencia es abrumadora genocidio y ha sido aceptado por el juez. Incluye testimonios orales de siete víctimas de abusos ciudadanos chinos y los informes de Amnistía Internacional, Human Rights Watch y la Comisión de Derechos Humanos.
[Carlos Iglesias, Abogados, Fundación de Derecho de los Derechos Humanos]:
"Tribunal español ha dado un paso histórico hacia adelante para detener y llevar ante la justicia a los autores de delitos cometidos por el partido comunista chino a millones de practicantes de Falun Gong. Cinco acusados-Jiang Zemin, Luo Gan, Bo Xilai, Jia Qinglin, Wu Guanzheng- y todos los demás involucrados oficina del PCCh en la persecución, deben ser llevados ante la justicia, y ponerlos en la cárcel, deben ser directamente responsable de millones de practicantes de Falun Gong que han sido perseguidos por su fe, que están tratando de ser una buena persona. "
I don't see how this article answers the question it poses: "Who comes after Chavez?" unless that question be gven the meaning of "who can possibly come after Hugo Chavez?" It might be better phrased as "What comes after Chavez?"
We could bring the filthy corrupt Chavez government to its knees and not fire one shot. STOP BUYING CITGO! (Also peddled as "Kangaroo"). Exports of oil from Venezuela to China are to REPAY billions in loans from the Chinese for purchasing arms (jets, tanks, Kalashnikovs) from Russia, and Chavez receives no money for that now...CITGO is his main source of cash. We stop buying CITGO and his government will fall.
Idiot trolls pass up no opportunity to invent lies and wild exaggerations about President Obama.
The correct term is "Comrade Obama"
It would be surprising if Chavez were to return to Venezuela. Secrecy surrounding such leaders' heatlh problems and their disappearance together with not even a live interveriew or statement from Chavez in Cuba likely means that he is near death or even dead. The question for Venezuela is, what will its course of action be in the post-Chavez era?
U.S. neocons and U.S. policy have actively attempted to destabilise the democratically elected Chavez government, even though in the wake of Katrina and other hurricanes Chavez has subsidised heating fuel for affected poor Americans. The U.S.'s active anti-Chavez' Venezuela actions have driven the two countries apart. Venezuela's Citgo continues to be a major fuel supplier in the U.S. and without it U.S. fuel prices probably would rise. As for the future China has the cash and the developing market for Venezuela's oil and the exports to China are increasing. It might be better especially for Venezuela's social "revolution" if it could distance itself even more from the U.S., but that would further torpedo U.S. efforts to attempts to re-colonise countries south of its border with Mexico.
Chavez eliminates poverty and some folks are criticizing him? This guy has done great things for this nation, and brought it wealth.
Americans are so full of themselves. Guess what folks, every nation has the right to determine how it will run it's business. Get out of every other countries face, America.
Sly, don't be so ignorant. Chavez has helped the poor at the expense of the middle class. Destroying one class of people to help another makes sense to only to people like yourselves. Read some of the other posts from Venezuelans and you might get a real idea of how things are. And stop being so dramatically anti American, it's so passe.
Love the way American Corporate TV portrays any voice opposing the Empire as " troubling global presence". What about George Bush ? Sure he'd really happy to be called that, if we push it really hard. Instead of looking for "Vile Tirane" somewhere abroad, why don't you Yakees look inside your country. Give you a hint, look them affiliated to an elephant symbol party.
What comes after Chavez? The same guy that follows the the elephants in the circus parade. The guy with a garbage can on wheels and a shovel.
It has to be a commie. I would think it would be Obama.
You remember "The Boys from Brazil."
The left in America hopes it's the reanimated corpse of Lenin with a dash of Mao thrown in.
I am quoting you Fareed, about Venezuela: "poverty has declined by 50 percent since 2004. Extreme poverty has declined by 70 percent. Over the same period, college enrollment doubled, and millions of Venezuelans gained access to health care. Many are getting free housing – Chavez announced on public television last year he would build two million homes for the poor." I suppose you suggest there are better uses for the proceeds for an oil boom? The spending here was wasteful, or should have been directed elsewhere? Perhaps this should not have been the principal priority of the entire Chavez agenda or philosophy? Third world countries turn around altogether in 9 years, generally - particularly ones that are wealthy in natural resources - is that your experience? Is that what you are saying? I think Chavez's priorities were the obvious ethical ones - ones that are ignored in so many places, that get high grades from the Barclays of the world. The homicides are horrific, as they are neighboring Colombiia and Mexico. La Violencia has plaugued these regions for decades or centuries, as have sky high debt and inflation. Where else is poverty halved and extreme poverty reduce by 70% in a country of 24 million in 9 years? Really. Come on, high falutin', complicated critics - just suck it up, and say, thank God for the people of Venezuela, may other entrenched ancient problems of the region also reach resolution. This one was first. Get off your high horse, give credit where it is due. Your arm chair condecension doesn't fly here. Your analysis is generally excellent, but with all due respect you have zones of ideological prejudice, though I see a little improvement in this particular overage of Venezuela. In the past I heard potent stereotypes and incorrect information. Thank you for your work generally. NB Saudi Arabia is often cited for oil wealth linked to universal high standards of living. Well that may be true for the 1.5 million Saudis in that enormous land, but as you know, it is certainly not for the what –4 or 5 milion who work and live there without the privleges of citizenship.
Let's be honest. I think the American public doesn't really give a hoot about Chavez or Venezuela. They usually get attention with their reps for the Miss Universe pageant. That's about it, aside from their illegal immigrants that come here through the Mexican railways.
Who comes after Chavez? Obama, hopefully. Lean Forward, and South.
Whoever Chavez appoints, of course. That's the way dictators keep control.
Sounds like Putin-lite.
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