The Book
In praise of Blogging the Revolution
“Caracas Chronicles has been an indispensable source of lucidity and perspective in these turbulent times in Venezuela. Toro and Nagel have been right on target, without pretending to be ludicrously impartial; they have been able to rise above polarization, trying hard to make sense of an often implausible reality. Blogging the Revolution shows them at their best. If you are not already a fan, you will become one.”
- Francisco J. Monaldi, RFK Visiting Professor at Harvard Kennedy School and Director, Center on Energy at IESA in Caracas.Recent Comments
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Monthly Archives: December 2010
Lukashenko: your oil is in Lake Charles
A little nugget in my Inbox courtesy of a reader. You know how Hugo Chávez is always boasting that he wants to ship oil to other countries, how he wants to find other markets, bla bla bla? That’s the reasoning behind … Continue reading
Posted in International, Oil
16 Comments
Happy new taxes, human beings!
Two days before the New Year, Hugo Chávez’s economic svengali let everyone know they will be significantly poorer in 2011. Starting January 1st – yes, you have two days to prepare – no longer will the government sell some dollars at … Continue reading
Posted in The Economy
22 Comments
The Miami pallbearer
There he is in Miami, sitting in the front row at Carlos Andrés Pérez’s controversial funeral, photos courtesy of Noticias 24. And there he is, standing guard by the former President’s casket. We always knew Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma was CAP’s dauphin. … Continue reading
Posted in History, Opposition
89 Comments
The Banality of Incompetence
One story that should be getting more play abroad is the simply amazing tale of the oil Venezuela is selling to China for $5/barrel…only for the Chinese to turn around and sell it on to third-parties (read: gringos) at a markup of … Continue reading
Under the Radar: Maracay’s Imminent Shitstorm
Here’s a story the ever Caracas-centric media’s barely noticed: the recent rains have left the heavily-polluted Lake of Valencia on the verge of a major flood. The water level is now just 17 cm. from the top of the levee … Continue reading
Carlos Andrés Pérez – 1922-2010 – Fashion Victim
Carlos Andrés Pérez, who dominated Venezuela’s social democratic landscape for over a quarter of a century, has died at the age of 88, on Christmas day. CAP, as he was universally known, is harder to eulogize than most. Variously described … Continue reading
Usually, we take a break for Christmas
…this year, though, the government won’t. So we don’t get to, either.
Posted in In Other News
8 Comments
Aló, ¿soberano?
Reader causetoujours has an idea: a Repeal Referendum. Article 74 of Venezuela’s Moribund Constitution says: “Laws may be repealed partially or totally when the repeal is petitioned by at least 10 percent of registered voters or by the President. Decrees (emanating … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
21 Comments
The throwback
(A gift under the tree for our readers: this is an exclusive guest post by Alejandro Tarre, a talented, Caracas-based writer and blogger. Do check out his blog, if you haven’t already. Thanks Alejandro!) It’s hard to look at Latinobarómetro’s … Continue reading
Breaking it down
Alek Boyd eloquently explains why Venezuela can no longer be considered a democracy. The money quote: It is ironic that the debate about democratic deficit is mentioned in relation to a country that has had plenty of elections in the … Continue reading
Posted in Politics
12 Comments
Clarity
Trying to pick out any one bit of Chávez’s 2010 Paquete Navideño (a.k.a. the current storm of lame-duck session laws) as the most unconstitutional of the bunch is a little like arguing about which player was the worst out of … Continue reading
Ledezimated
As if taking away their power to legislate wasn’t enough, today AN Chief Inquisitor Cilia Flores is announcing a Reform to the Rules on Debates inside the National Assembly. You know what comes next: the majority will decide who gets … Continue reading
About those Bandagro bonds…
Setty rips my post and destroys my credibility. I had it coming. Post duly updated. The great Miguel provides some more background.
Posted in Bonds, Chavez's mental health
4 Comments
Love and milk
It has long been known that the Southern shores of Lake Maracaibo contain some of Venezuela’s richest, most productive lands. But this is also a land seeped in violence, where work, love, and commitment to farming and cattle grazing run … Continue reading
Posted in The Economy
20 Comments
Sixth Circuit says: “Expropiese!”; Updated as probably, not quite
There is a long, tortous story behind a series of bonds colloquially known as the “Bandagro bonds.” I don’t know the details very well, but the outline is the following: billions of dollars of Venezuelan bonds were bought by investors … Continue reading
Posted in Bonds
21 Comments
