Thursday, December 06, 2007

Analysis of Why Hugo Chavez Lost in Venezuela

Daniel, of Venezuela News and Views points the way to an article authored by Roger Cohen in the NY Times which is very worthy of reading and thinking long and hard about.

In his article, Mr. Cohen points out major areas in which Hugo Chavez lost impetus as a winning election platform. Mr. Cohen has assigned these as the "eight rules of modern political life as seen from Venezuela".

Well done, well parsed. And done so in ways which also explain the 8 rules in terms of US left/right comprehension. Mr. Chavez annoyed and offended his own base in the left; and deliberately antagonized the right while attempting to play at "Centrist".

He mixed up religion and state matters; intermingling both in attempts to forge a Bolivarian Revolution, which may have been effective in past; but is untenable in current times and in currency.

The world which includes Venezuelans has grown.

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