Red Pepper's Venezuela Blog

Hugo Chávez

[Le Monde Diplomatique editor Ignacio Ramonet argues that given the results acheived by the Chavez government in Venezuela, is it not surprising that President Chávez has become a target that "the owners of the world and their agents want to shoot". Click here for a Spanish version of this article.]

Associated Press Omits Relevant History in Report of Chavez's Harsh Words for Spain's former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar

[Justin Delacour, editor of the blog, Latin America News Review, argues that  a recent Associated Press report quoting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as referring to Spain's former Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar as a "fascist" at the Ibero-American summit in Santiago, Chile, fails to include the relevant background information. Consequently, the report makes Chavez's statements appear so bizarre and undiplomatic as to be inexplicable. During closing speeches by Latin American leaders on Saturday, King Juan Carlos of Spain told Chavez to "shut up", therebye bringing the Ibero-American summit to an acrimonious end. Click here for an update by Delacour on this story. Click here for an account of this news in Spanish and to see a video of the exchange between Chavez and the Spanish king.]

A combination photo shows Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez addressing the closing session of the XVII Ibero-American Summit (right photo) and Spain's Prime Minister Jose Luiz Rodriguez Zapatero (L) and King Juan Carlos protesting over Chavez's speech (left photo) in Santiago November 10, 2007. King Juan Carlos told Chavez on Saturday to "shut up" during closing speeches by leaders from the Latin world that brought the Ibero-American summit to an acrimonious end. Credit: Reuters

Former Venezuelan Defense Minister Baduel Denounces Constitutional Reform

[Venezuelanalysis.com's Kiraz Janicke reports on the news that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's former Defense Minister, Raul Isaias Baduel, who played a key role in defeating the opposition military coup against Chavez in 2002, came out  against the president's proposed constitutional reforms this week saying they represent a "constitutional coup" and that people should vote against them in the referendum on December 2. Chavez accused Baduel of betraying his own ideals with his  new hard-line opposition.]

Public Talk:'Changing Venezuela by Taking Power': The Policies of the Chávez Government' (Gregory Wilpert)

Red Pepper's Venezuela Blog and SOAS Palestine Society present a public talk entitled

'Changing Venezuela by Taking Power: The Policies of the Chávez Government'                                        

by Gregory Wilpert* - editor of Venezuelanalysis.com

Without Workers Management There Can Be No Socialism

[Venezuelanalysis.com's Kiraz Janicke reports on a two day conference on Worker's Management: Theory and Practice, as part of a program, "Human Development and Transformative Praxis," run by Canadian Marxist academic Michael Lebowitz at the International Miranda Center in Caracas.]
A worker at the worker-controlled Inveval factory, an hour east of Caracas in the satellite town of Carrizal, state of Miranda. January 2006. Credit: Gustavo Marcano.