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: May 2011
That Slope Sure is Slippery
Another hat tip to Setty for pointing us to this pair of genuinely galling articles on the government’s decision to – triple horrified gasp – start charging tuition fees for Universidad Bolivariana language students. Retroactively! You know, back when the … Continue reading
Posted in Way Back (Older Posts)
22 Comments
Kei-khronicles
For those of you who haven’t used up your 20 free NYT articles this month (on the 28th! for shame!), be sure to check out Simón Romero’s illuminating piece on Keiko Fujimori. It’s a thorough, balanced treatment. My conclusion? She … Continue reading
DVD killed the Betamax politicians
Loyal reader GTAvex has been on my case for a few weeks. He thinks I’m unfairly maligning the old adeco-style rhetoric without acknowledging its benefits. Obviously, I’m not real sane when hardcore adequismo is at stake. These things are tribal. … Continue reading
Pablo Pérez Channels His Inner Adeco
So long as we’re looking for examples of presumptive oppo primary contestants on the stump, I thought it only fair to give Zulia Gobernor Pablo Pérez his chance in the form – admittedly – of a two year old clip: … Continue reading
Posted in Pablo Perez
22 Comments
The Eight-Lane Superhighway to Serfdom
Normally, I try to steer well clear of Hayekians. In contemporary discourse, Austrian Economics is the hobby horse of an extremist fringe of market fundamentalists: ferocious parrots with a one track mind centered on a single remedy to all economic … Continue reading
>:( … :)
Notice how in this video, Leopoldo López goes from a furrowed brow to a smiling face, from ominous music to a more hopeful tune, from dark lighting to a brighter one. Visually, it tells a story. I’m not so sure about … Continue reading
Posted in Leopoldo López
48 Comments
The Hot Air Feedback Loop
So far, so yawn. In response to the U.S.’s Cotton Candy Sanctions against PDVSA (they look like they’re there, but the second you try to sink your teeth into them, they sort of dissolve into air), we’re getting the standard … Continue reading
U.S. Imposes World’s Limpest Sanction on Iran Embargo-Running PDVSA
Setty has all the background here and here. PDVSA is getting off with a slap on the wrist – they’re mostly barred from doing stuff they haven’t done for years, had no intention of doing, and had no interest in … Continue reading
Posted in International, Oil
13 Comments
Nationalized Cement Companies hitting up the treasury for cash in 3…2…
What a surprise. The nationalized cement company formerly known as Cemex – now Cementos de Venezuela – is strapped for cash. With cement prices fixed by administrative fiat, the company can’t generate the cashflow it needs to pay workers and … Continue reading
Straight-Up Capitalism vs. Communism Deathmatch
It sure seems like Henrique Capriles’s plan is to put a straightforward defense of private property front and center, packaging it as a pragmatic solution to the problems facing everyday Venezuelans. In my book, he gets points for speaking directly … Continue reading
Posted in Henrique Capriles, Primaries
35 Comments
The Return of Depression-Inducing Economics
Reading N24′s sad little write-up on the virtual impossibility of finding a Vergatario (rough translation: penis-phone) in Venezuela these days, it strikes me just how soul crushingly depressing the very existence of the problem is. Venezuela is busily reliving a … Continue reading
Posted in The Economy
75 Comments
An open letter to Moisés Naím
Dear Moisés, I hope you won’t think it brash of me to use your first name. We’ve only met once, briefly, back in 1990 when I was an economics student asking you to come to a forum at our University. … Continue reading
FARC: Setting the Standard for Eco-friendly Terrorism
Setty’s been having a rummage of his own through the FARC Files and digs up three tidbits, each more bizarre than the last. The whole Environmental Impact Assessment for Pipeline Bombing thang is too weird to have been made up. … Continue reading
Substance
There’s an old, in many ways justified, lament about how devoid of substance Venezuelan political discourse is, how conceptually thin it is, how divorced it is from deeper issues. What’s weird, though, is how comfortable some people are going straight … Continue reading
