In These Times

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• • 29 Dec 08
  • 1:07 pm

  I took Steve Ellner's account to be a necessary corrective to the mainstream news accounts that have portrayed the recent elections almost exclusively as a defeat, when in fact the results are mixed. Perhaps I'm assuming to much, but I take Brociner's comments to mean that on whole he thinks Chavez has undermined rather than strengthened Venezuelan democracy. While I think that it's fair to criticize the personalist and macho character of his leadership, or to debate the wisdom of changing the constitution, I think on balance Venezuela is a more democratic place today because, in part, of Chavez's leadership. I …

  Posted to Chávez Wins Again

• • 19 Jan 09
  • 10:05 am

  On the issue of human rights: There is no excuses whatsoever for the treatment of the HW team, and it reinforces, to some degree, the criticism of the regime. But it is not the complete record. Also, over 100 academics, including former presidents of the Latin American Studies Assocation, issued a strong critique of the HW report. You can read it, along with a response from HW and a counterpoint from the critics, at www.venezuelanalysis.com. (And let the record show that before Chavez said anything inflammatory about Obama, he launched a confrontational and inflammatory round of bombast against Chavez. How about …

  Posted to Chávez Wins Again