Red Pepper's Venezuela Blog

Counter-Attack of the Bureaucrats: "Endogenous Right" vs. "False Left" in Venezuela

[Writing for Counterpunch, George Ciccariello-Maher argues that in Venezuela in recent weeks the so-called "endogenous right," the well-known bloc of moderate, centrist, bureaucratic-minded Chavistas, have landed a series of body blows to more leftist elements, threatening internal democracy and the radicalism of the Revolution in the process.]

President Chavez rejects anarchical attitudes of groups that say they identify with the revolution

[On Wednesday Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez rejected the anarchical attitudes of some groups that say they identify with the revolution.]

ALBA: Creating a Regional Alternative to Neo-liberalism?

[Shawn Hattingh argues that the Bolivarian Alternative for Latin America (ALBA) offers real possibilities for future widespread alternatives to the current neo-liberal system.  This means that ALBA is of great symbolic value. It shows that there is an alternative to neo-liberalism, which the governments of the South -- including those in Asia and Africa -- could embark upon.]
Conclusion of the 6th ALBA Summit in Caracas, January 2008. Credit: Telesur

Grass-roots Chávismo Awakes

[Letting the grassroots lead is the only way forward from referendum defeat, says Reinaldo Iturriza Lopez. For a Spanish version of this article click here. This article is one of two included in the February/March 2008 issue of Red Pepper magazine that analyses the prospects for the Bolivarian process following the narrow defeat of President Hugo Chávez’s constitutional reform proposals in December’s referendum.]

Summit of the Bolivarian Alternative (ALBA) Concludes in Venezuela

[Venezuelanalysis.com's Kiraz Janicke reports on the 6th Summit of the Bolivarian Alternative for Latin America (ALBA), held last week in Venezuela. The summit concluded with the founding of a new Bank of ALBA and the signing of a series of economic and social agreements between the member nations. Dominica also became the latest country to join the regional fair trade bloc.]

Conclusion of the ALBA Summit in Caracas. Credit: Telesur

Chávez's U-turn on socialism

[Writing in the New Statesman, Venezuela-based economic advisor and analyst, Stephanie Blankenburg, argues that unless pro-Chávez candidates win the regional and municipal elections scheduled for November 2008, Venezuela might well have a new president before the year is out.]

Venezuelan Grassroots Groups Push For A United Movement

[Venezuelanalysis.com's Michael Fox reports an unprecedented 2-day long grassroots assembly held last weekend in the Southern Caracas barrio of El Valle. At the assembly hundreds of representatives of Venezuela's grassroots social movements hashed out plans for the formation of the Revolutionary Grassroots Front of the South - a new united movement through which they hope to combat the growing bureaucracy within the Chavez government, and to push their own grassroots agenda.]

Grassroots leaders meet in El Valle to discuss a unitary platform. Credit: Michael Fox

President Pothole

[The Oil Wars blog argues that a video showing recent moves by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to pay close attention to his supporters' complaints show the best and worst of Chavez. The blog argues that after watching the videos it is easy to understand why Chavez is loved by millions, but also to see why Chavez's entire project is likely to end in failure.]   

Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution at a Turning Point

[For venezuelanalysis.com editor Gregory Wilpert, with the surprising loss of the constitutional reform referendum in December, Venezuela's Bolivarian revolution reached a turning point.]

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.]