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
Dago on 50 Shades of Boy Are We S… Gold on 50 Shades of Boy Are We S… Mike on The Cuban elephant in the… pitiyanqui on 50 Shades of Boy Are We S… extorres on 50 Shades of Boy Are We S… jctt on The Cuban elephant in the… NET on 50 Shades of Boy Are We S… Canucklehead on 50 Shades of Boy Are We S… The Cat on 50 Shades of Boy Are We S… Ronaldo on The Cuban elephant in the… Popular Now
-
Monthly Archives: July 2011
Optimizing What?
The previous post got a pretty good debate going about oil policy. One point, though, kept coming up in different ways from different commenters: seeing “optimizing the tax take” as the goal of the exercise is badly misguided. It’s the … Continue reading
Posted in Oil
17 Comments
You can’t put optimal oil policy on a bumper sticker
…well, not a sensible bumper sticker, anyway. Oil policy in a context like Venezuela’s is irreducibly complex. You could say you want to maximize the cash flow to the public purse, but it only takes a moment’s reflection to realize … Continue reading
Posted in Oil
76 Comments
Caudillista? Moi?!
This has to be the most chigüiresque headline I’ve seen on a legitimate news story all year. Honestly.
Posted in Chavismo, Oil
8 Comments
XIIIth Century Socialism
So far we haven’t commented much on chavismo’s batty new Law on Fair Costs and Prices – mostly because it’s too depressing. Criticizing the economics behind it in detail would be farcical, like a point-by-point scientific refutation of the idea … Continue reading
Another Look at the National Railroad System
Over in Spanish, Raúl Aular shows how camera angles can make a world of difference.
Mr. Big Oil
What would oil policy look like in a Leopoldo López presidency? 1. Lots of investment in production, geared toward making Venezuela the world’s top producer 2. Lots of investment in gas, making us the continent’s top gas exporter. 3. Democratize … Continue reading
Posted in Leopoldo López, Oil
62 Comments
Borrowing at Credit Card Rates
Let’s be clear: for a country to issue a sovereign bond with an 11.95% coupon is really just a polite way of saying it’s broke. Moderately responsible individuals in the first world can literally get credit card debt cheaper than … Continue reading
Annals of Goal Post Locomotion
In 2008, PDVSA said they planned to produce 5.8 million barrels per day by 2012. In 2009, it was 4.9 million b/d by 2013. In 2010, they pledged 4.46 million b/d in production by 2015. Now they’re saying they’ll get to 4 … Continue reading
Tinderbox meets match
There’s a lot to digest in today’s appointment of La Comandante Fosforito (in English, Commander Firecracker) as Minister for the Penitentiary System. It’s no secret that Venezuela’s prison system is one big, hot mess. The buildings themselves are decaying and … Continue reading
Posted in Drugs, Human Rights, Repression
37 Comments
Pran in Chief (Updated)
To tackle Venezuela’s #1 Human Rights issue by heading the shiny new Special Ministry for Prisons Hugo Chávez has tapped none other than…the crazy lady whose idea of parliamentary debate involves leaving César Pérez Vivas’s face looking like this! Dear. Lord. … Continue reading
The litmus test
“If he can make getting a cédula easier, then I will consider supporting him.” I remember thinking and saying this back in 1999, when Hugo Chávez was first elected. The experience of my previous two cédulas, Venezuela’s indispensable ID cards, … Continue reading
Posted in Misiones
40 Comments
Nationalizing Cement Plants while Privatizing Schools
Here’s a crazy thing: turns out the Chávez government – you know, the same one that has managed to nationalize everything from black bean imports to cement manufacturing – is slowly, gradually privatizing the school system. According to the government’s … Continue reading
Good News/Bad News
Datanalisis’s latest shows Chávez’s popularity holding steady in the wake of his cancer diagnosis, and Henrique Capriles well out ahead in the opposition primary race. It’s a good news/bad news kind of read: Good news: Capriles beats Chávez among self-described … Continue reading
Posted in Henrique Capriles, Polls
24 Comments
When Unity Becomes a Wedge Issue
The lazy point to make about La Vino Tinto’s exhilarating run at the Copa América this year is that it’s a rare, exciting moment of National Unity – fútbol as the one last bastion of non-polarization in a politically fractured … Continue reading
Posted in In Other News, Society
55 Comments
