The late Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez was known for having started and spread what is called the Bolivarian revolution, a kind of anti-American, dictatorial type of socialism. His success in spreading his revolution and his influence in the region would not have been so successful without the support of the moderate-left countries of Latin America [...]

The Center for Security Policy’s Menges Hemispheric Security Project Invites you to their Third Annual Symposium on Latin America: Chavismo without Chavez–
Anticipated Challenges for Regional and U.S. National Security May 9th, 9:00am-12:00pm Capitol Visitors Center, Washington DC
North Congressional Meeting Room, House Side Whether liked or despised, Venezuelan president, Hugo Chavez was a transformative figure. During [...]

Nicolas Maduro was sworn in as president of Venezuela on April 19 in the presence of a number of Latin American presidents including, Rouseff of Brazil, Kirchner of Argentina, Ortega of Nicaragua, Morales of Bolivia, and even Santos of Colombia. A place of honor was given to the Cuban dictator, Raul Castro along with the [...]

Important to Support Vote Recount in Venezuela By Luis Fleischman and Nancy Menges  According to results reported by the national Elections Committee of Venezuela (CNE), Nicolas Maduro, Chavez’s chosen successor and protégé, won the Venezuelan presidential election by a skimpy margin of less than 2%. Once again the Chavistas won because they took advantage of [...]

There is a great deal of speculation these days about the immediate political future after Chavez’ expected death. Some analysts, like Amherst University professor Javier Corrales argue that regardless of what happens, the next government will have to deal with a serious problem left behind by Chavez . This problem centers on the previous irrational [...]

Chavez continues to be the hero in Venezuela and the region. In the last elections for state governors that took place on Sunday, December 16th, Chavez’s party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), won overwhelmingly and now holds 20 out of the 23 state governments in the nation. The opposition lost important states such [...]