Ignorance
Posted at 10:40pm on Apr. 20, 2008 Making "Bolivarian" A Dirty Word
By Pejman Yousefzadeh
It has been a long time--far too long, one might add--since we have had the opportunity to note the latest misadventures of Hugo Chavez. Let's catch up, shall we?
First, let's note this article, which points out that hubris continues to be a problem for the Chavez regime:
The notion that Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez would ease his radical policies after last December's humbling defeat in a national referendum on constitutional reform has been quickly disabused. His administration has launched new attacks on the private sector--taking over two food companies and in recent days announcing plans to nationalise the cement industry. The three foreign cement-makers that dominate the industry have been targeted, but few companies anywhere in private sector will feel safe after the recent government moves.
The Chávez administration has argued for some time that the state should have greater control over what it deems to be strategic industries. In 2007 he took over the largest telecommunications and electricity companies, and also imposed new contracts on foreign oil companies that gave the state a majority stake in existing heavy-oil joint-ventures.
Yet Mr Chávez seemed to tone down his radical rhetoric a bit after losing the referendum, which sought, among other constitutional changes, to eliminate presidential term limits. This apparent shift proved to be short-lived.
Read on . . .
Posted in Foreign Affairs | Hugo Chavez | Ignorance | Venezuela — Comments (2)/ Email this page » / Read More »
