Red Pepper's Venezuela Blog

Venezuela’s Cooperatives Take First Steps Towards National Cooperative Movement

Last week venezuelanalysis.com journalist Michael Fox attended a meeting where representatives from all of Venezuela's 100,000+ cooperatives gathered in Caracas to launch a new coordinating body for the country's cooperative movement.

Members of the CENCOOP Commission on Institutional Relations debate next steps. Credit: Silvia Leindecker

Venezuelan Anger at Computer Game

Below, an article published by the BBC on the reaction in Venezuela over a forthcoming U.S. company produced "shoot-em-up" computer game that simulates an invasion of Venezulela.

A scene from the original Mercenaries game, released last year

Article: In Venezuela, Oil Sows Emancipation

Brazilian economist Luciano Wexell Severo has recently published a detailed overview of Venezuela´s economic performance under President Hugo Chavez. This article was originally published in Spanish by  the news and analysis website 'Rebelion' on 12 March 2006. The English translation was provided by Julio Huato for MR Zine.

Article - Media Alert: Lining Up the Next Victims - The 'Independent' Stokes Up Fear Of Left 'Populism' In South America (Media Lens)

British media watchdog, Media Lens, criticise a recent article by David Usborne entitled 'The Big Question: Should we be worried by the rise of the populist left in South America?'. Usborne's article appeared in the British newspaper 'The Independent' last week.

Article: As Elections Loom, Venezuela’s Opposition Won’t Commit to Participation

Eric Wingerter of the US based Venezuela Information Office (VIO) looks at the debate within Venezuela's opposition parties over whether to participate in December's presidential elections.

Article: The Danger of Hugo Chávez's Successful Socialism

Ted Rall writing in Znet argues that when the hated despots of nations like Saudi Arabia and Kazakhstan loot their countries' treasuries US politicians praise them as trusted friends and allies. But when a democratically elected president uses Venezuela's oil profits to lift poor people out of poverty, they accuse him of pandering.

Article - Media Alert: Cartoon Time - Channel 4 Smears Chavez (Media Lens)

British media watchdog, Media Lens, add their own critical views on a recent Channel 4 report on Venezuela's Hugo Chavez. To read the article press here. 

Article - Venezuela's new model army

Below is an interview with Venezuelan General Raul Baduel by Red Pepper editor Hilary Wainwright, who visited Caracas earlier this year for the 2006 World Social Forum. The article appears in the April edition of Red Pepper, out now.

Article - Promoting Polyarchy: The New U.S. Political Intervention in Latin America

An article by U.S. academic William Robinson on the new website based project In the Name of Democracy discusses how the U.S. government has intervened in Venezuela recently under the guise of "democracy promotion", and argues that this is symptomatic of a new form of U.S. political intervention in Latin America.

Article - Telesur: 'Another Television is Possible'

Jim McIlroy and Coral Wynter from the Australian weekly newspaper Green Left Weekly visit the new Latin American TV channel Telesur and talk with the channel's director about some of the challenges Telesur faces.