Monthly Archives: April 2009

Juan Cristobal says: – In recent days, Hugo Chavez named former Finance Minister Nelson Merentes to head Venezuela’s Central Bank. The move would not be chavista if it wasn’t controversial, as there was no public hearing on Mr. Merentes’ nomination. … Continue reading →

Now also on Huffo. Quico says: Some events are so momentous, so history shaking, all you need to refer to them is a date. 911 is, I suppose, the grand-daddy of them all, not to mention the main reference point … Continue reading →

Quico says: I do realize there’s one fairly basic problem with the “hero” theory of Venezuelan redemption: it relies, ultimately, on power’s sense of shame. Ghandi’s campaign, in India, had power because London could be shamed into changing its actions. … Continue reading →

Quico says: Juan Forero’s report for the Washington Post on the growing crackdown against the opposition paints a dismal picture of the extremes to which the government’s strategy to criminalize opposition is going. It’s worth a read, in part, to … Continue reading →

Quico says: I’ve just realized for the last who-knows-how-long, the little sign-up form on the right for Email delivery hadn’t been working. It’s now fixed. If you want to get each day’s new posts delivered to your inbox, just enter … Continue reading →

Quico says: How can it be that the government only prosecutes corruption cases when the accused are Chávez opponents? It drives me batty. Nothing chavismo does makes my blood boil like the partisan use of anti-corruption legislation. Considering ours is … Continue reading →

Quico says: No, I can’t believe I’m writing this either, but we need to face up: Caracas’s embattled mayor, Antonio Ledezma is turning out to be a far smarter, saner, and far, far more effective opposition politician than many of … Continue reading →

Quico says: …wants to know what Venezuelans thought of The Handshake.

Juan Cristobal says: – This weekend’s rapprochement between the U.S. and Venezuela is, without a doubt, good news. We have long argued on this blog that isolating Chavez is impossible and that fueling his anti-U.S. rhetoric only helps Chavez and … Continue reading →

Quico says: Yes, it’s the course of action I explicitly recommended a few months ago. Yes, my brain knows this is the smart thing. Still, I couldn’t help but blanch when I saw it:

Quico says: Chavismo, as the saying goes, is “more-of-the-same, only worse”. It’s one my favorite tropes on the Chávez era. What I like best about that reduction is the way it focuses attention on the too-often overlooked continuities between puntofijismo … Continue reading →

Juan Cristobal says: – First came Columbus. Now … Gallegos! El Universal is reporting that the bust of Rómulo Gallegos, first Venezuelan in the modern era to be elected president by popular vote, is no more. Gallegos’ bust has been … Continue reading →

Juan Cristobal says: Freedom of expression. The right to elect officials. The right to a fair trial. Freedom of religion. Those all sound swell, don’t they? They are but a few of the rights constitutionally guaranteed to the lucky citizens … Continue reading →

Quico says: Click here for the Second Part of my interview with Brian Nelson, author of The Silence and The Scorpion: The Coup Against Chávez and the Making of Modern Venezuela. (The First Part of the interview is here.) http://www.podomatic.com/swf/mediaplayer.swf

Listen to my interview with Brian Nelson, author of The Silence and The Scorpion, here.Quico says: Seven years on, the events of April 11, 2002, haunt Venezuela as much as they ever did. The drive to mythologize the April Crisis … Continue reading →