Anti-Imperial Riots in Venezuela

I think that it is important to mention that Chavez is the elected president of Venezuela, not just a "military leader." Also, he has enraged the US government by being somewhat independent. How do we know that the photo is not CIA-paid rightwing thugs. I'm not saying that they are, but I could use more info on the events of the photo instead of some campy Star Wars reference. thanks

From what I've read the people demonstrating are not "anti-imperialists," the are members of the opposition party Democratic Action. Also, Chavez is not a fascist he is a nationalist populist. And as another post correctly pointed out, he was democratically elected.

Chavez is a military person who has tried in the past to violently assume power. Fascism is, amongst many things, a form of government which encourages destructive corporatism while operating under the mantle of populism. Is Chavez working over a Fascist foundation? You decide. -Bakunin

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Chavez in Venezuela:
there's no bread, but the circus is good.
Nelson - C.R.A. - Venezuela September 1999

After seven months in power, the Venezuelan anarchists can make more precise statements about the Hugo Chavez government, particularly to inform our comrades from abroad who without our information would have to depend on interpretations of the habitual distortions and disinformation propagated by the usual transnational media.

Let's start by noting that the ascent to the Presidency by this former soldier happened by means of a process in which he himself was the main beneficiary of the speedy decomposition of the previous political scene, a "representative democracy" regime that after 40 years at the helm found itself sinking in the contradictions and failures inherent in its own structure, dominated by the two political parties that took turns in power during that period: Accion Democratica - of social democratic and populist roots - and COPEI - christian democrat and populist also. The rulers of these parties ("cogollos" we call them here) in cahoots with the transnational and local bourgeoisie, and counting with the blessings of the USA empire, took advantage of the immense oil revenues in order to "modernize" the Venezuelan state, in the sense of turning it into an oppressive machine serving their own interests.

This control apparatus certainly had sufficient means to offer the populist carrot at a level unknown to other Third World latitudes, which for a long time was instrumental in assuring the passivity of the majority of the population, also hoping to benefit from the huge avalanche of oil riches. But as the decade of the 80's wore on the people started to realize the dilution of that hope, and when they wanted to recover it, with the famous "Caracazo" of February 27,1989 the brutality of the state surpassed all similar deeds in the history of the nation. Faced with unending socioeconomic crisis, the pseudo democratic party system started to confront during the 90's a decrease in electoral support and political legitimacy, a situation beneficial to another candidate to power who assaulted this decaying model from the military sector, which the parties had made into their accomplice and support.

Even though Chavez and his followers failed, in 1992, to displace the regime by force, they established themselves as an alternative to the obvious decay of the bipartisan system. The "Comandante's" position - he was released from prison in 1994 because his adversaries saw him as a sort of political dead body - acquired significant electoral strength due more to the corruption and stupidity of the "cogollos" than to any brilliancy in his strategy or leadership, where Chavez counted on not only the former military men that accompanied him in his attempted coup but he also added first the remains of the disorganized marxist left (for whom he was the providential life saver), in a weird mix with the local exponents of that Latin American Right always ready to support a military government, with the always present company of former Accion Democratica and COPEI opportunists that joined the Chavez bandwagon as it became evident that he would win the 1998 presidential elections, and like the cherry on top of this beautiful cake, many of the same local and foreign capitalists that 12 or 6 months before the elections decried the "haggard statism and leftism" represented by Chavez, but who saw the chance for photo opportunity with the winner when it came time to share the spoils.

Chavez assumed power after winning elections that confirmed two important facts: 1) the electoral decline of the old political party machinery, whose weakness became obvious not only in the vote count but even more so in the pathetic maneuverings that preceded their electoral shipwreck, when they sought the life belt of a single candidate and left in the lurch those others whom they had supported 15 days before the elections; 2) the consolidation of abstention as the best proof of the relationship between the Venezuelan people and the political system's electoral show, since despite the promises and threats (including those inherent in the law of mandatory vote), more than half the Venezuelans eligible to vote have not taken part in any elections in the decade of 1990. Of course, the winning team loudly proclaimed the first fact, keeping silent on the second, about which only the anarchists (and a few political analysts) have noticed its importance, since neither the disgruntled anti-Chavez opposition has any interest in advertising it.

Once in power, the Comandante's political performance has been plagued by image seeking gestures that simply repeat the old Latin American populism, empowered by a constant use of the media that has proved efficient in maintaining his constituency awe-struck and in shutting down the discredited voices of the opposition "cogollos". Besides, as we anarchists have warned for so long, he hasn't delayed the turning the Armed Forces into "the party of the government", the source of not only a large part of the leadership of Chavez's civilian party apparatus - the MVR, Movimiento V Republica - but also an important percent of the large high bureaucracy that the state requires for its functioning. The military has been put in charge of directing and executing the so-called "Plan Bolivar 2000" an updated version of the old party procedures to guarantee their electoral clientele by means of demagogic distribution of goods and basic services, so that lately we've seen a large presence of uniforms in the streets clearly linked to the consolidation of its new role as transmission belt between "the masses" and "the leader".

The great banner displayed by Chavez's tireless discourse is that of his challenge to "the corrupt ones", a term that includes all opposition. Lucky for them, AD and COPEI fit that description perfectly, so that support of the government has been kept in similar terms to those that allowed his rise to power, as no solid opposition has taken form to combat the populist incongruities and the threatening peril of a military dictatorship from a position consistent with the interests of the majority, since on the economic and social spheres the Comandante's government has been a repeat of the same strategies and policies we have suffered in Venezuela, courtesy of the IMF and such, for over 10 years, bent on globalizing us fast track and based on the immediate and servile donation to international capital of the natural and labor resources of the country, in exchange for the nebulous promise that things will get better for everyone in an undetermined future.

Strangely enough, the florid anti corruption language of the President has not denounced a single concrete case of theft to the public treasury during preceding governments, proof of which should be easily found in the official archives now within his reach. Even less strange is the fact that, as those who bid on work and services to the government attest, in the new administration the practice of bribes - "mordida" (the bite) as the say in Mexico, and "bajarse de la mula" (getting off the mule) around here - continues to hold sway in order to obtain official contracts, although now they are justified as "contributions to the MVR".

These mundane issues, however, do not claim the attention of the politicians, both government and opposition, currently entangled in the debate over a new Constitution, in which Chavism is heavily involved trying to sign the death certificate of the bipartisan political model as well as the birth certificate of its hegemony; while their rivals, weak in the domestic front, have scuttled abroad, where they present themselves as long-suffering and honest democrats, attacked wholesale by the apprentice dictator. In this respect, we shall insist that the new judicial structure will be capable of renewing actors, props and decorations in the political stage, but certainly will not change the oppressive character of the Venezuelan state nor the social and economic inequalities that rule among us, character and inequalities that neither the government nor the party opposition have any intention of changing.

Nelson - C.R.A. - Venezuela

translation by Luis

the protests are being put up by the right-wing political party funded by corporate money. the mayor of caracas is a sympathizer, so he gave them permission to protest these days THOUGH there's hardly any meaning in the protests. all they are protesting is Chavez's leftist politics, and no one's being tortured, no massacres, no money laundering, etc. chavez even supports these idiots' right to protest (against him). governmental and non-gov't sources are claiming the protesters and the business sector are working together to "destabilize" the Chavez gov't, and the "chavistas" (chavez fans) that supposedly clashed with the right-wing protesters are now being said to have not been real "chavistas" in the first place (smells like Sept. 11, 1973, Chile?).

ok... apprently zero of the authors of the posts here are aware of what's been going on...

first off, chavez is the only "anti-imperialist" in south america. he's the ONLY ONE who has OPPOSED the FTAA, and has even formally asked the U.S. to STOP the BOMBINGS in Afghanistan beacause of the innocent people being killed. both of these pissin off the white house entirely.

second, he's not much of a nationalist (except for his army years maybe). he dreams and talks of a united latin american government/nation, a united OPEC that will oppose what the 1st world ("imperal") countries wants to dictate in the oil market, and he speaks of 3rd world peoples struggles as much as he helps his own venezuelan people. he's also a castroist/maoist (though not as much as a follower of Simon Bolivar) and has publicly praised those two communist leaders' roles in helping their people out of misery. this is just a little bit to let you know he's far from being a nationalist and/or fascist.

in venezuela, several hundred thousand more children have started attending school this year. the economy keeps growing and has made a complete 180 (from recession) since the new constitution and new presidential elections last year. the army has been given a direct role to help out build these schools and provide health clinics in rural areas, etc. THERE IS EVEN "DISCONTENT" WITHIN THE ARMY ABOUT THEIR LESS AUTHORITATIVE ROLE, and this is with a leader who was military.

THIS REVOLUTION IS NOT CHAVEZ's, BUT RATHER THAT OF THE "MOVIMIENTO V BOLIVARIANO" (MVR). That is the leftist political coalition which as been running this peaceful revolution in Venezuela for the past 3 years. And if you think Chavez is a radical, the vice-presidentA (Adina Bastidas) has had the small opposition in the national assembly try to CENSOR her twice!

please folks, next time y'all read up on Venezuela a lil more. oh and please no 2 year old articles when discussing current events.

paz, amor, libertad, venceremos!!