Venezuela: le cause dell'instabilita'

["Nello Margiotta" <animarg@tin.it>]

INSTABILITY IN VENEZUELA
The democratically elected, progressive government of Venezuela has been
overtaken by the winds of turmoil in recent months as the plotting to
suffocate the economy and discredit Chavez have begun to take effect. The
situation in Venezuela has become very precarious, both economically and
politically.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Chavez won Presidential elections in 1998 and again in 2000 by the largest
majority in four decades. He has been governing Venezuela following the
principles of a new social movement called the Bolivarianism, named after
the South American independence hero, Simón Bolívar. Nearly all Venezuelans
were eager for drastic change. They wanted a new government that would
eradicate corruption and graft, and redirect the money from the vast oil
fields away from the multinationals towards the 80% of the Venezuelans
living in poverty.
Using his enormous popularity, Chavez has managed to implement an
unprecedented amount of reforms. To highlight just a few, Chavez has
ratified a new Constitution that now provides guarantees for indigenous
rights and women's rights, free health care and education up to the
university level. To reduce corruption Chavez has restructured the judicial
and legislative branches. The government serves breakfast and lunch to
schoolchildren year round and enrollment has increased by over a million
students. In a change that affected the world economy, Chavez reinvigorated
OPEC, raising oil prices from $8 a barrel to $27 - currently the price is
$18 a barrel.
Christian Perenti, professor at the New College of California believes that
"Venezuela is an example of a people struggling to create an alternative,
attempting to reform capitalism into a more egalitarian, healthier system."
Perenti went so far as to say that, "In fact, perhaps Venezuela is the
truest democracy in the world today."
CURRENT SITUATION
The country is deeply divided. Foreign interests are audaciously setting
about laying plans for an interim government. Inside Venezuela the unions,
the press, and the Catholic Church have all begun to call for Chávez's
resignation. Reports of no confidence in Chavez's Venezuela have come from
around the world: financial institutions, governments, academics, the US
State Department and the CIA.
PLOT, PINOCHET STYLE
Professor James Petras of the State University of New York, correspondent
for the Spanish magazine, Rebelión, believes that the United States has been
leading a campaign to destabilize Venezuela. "The tactics being used are
very similar to those used in Chile," Petras explains, "I was in Chile when
a very similar campaign was organized. Civilians are used to create a
feeling of chaos, and a false picture of Chavez as 'dictator' is
established, and then the military is incited to make a coup for the sake of
the country."
Petras asserts that another important figure in the foreign-sponsored
destabilization campaign is Alfredo Peña, the Mayor of Caracas, Petras says
that "Peña was in Washington being groomed for the replacement."
A December 9 New York Times report states that, "Alfredo Peña may just be
the mayor of Caracas, but that did not stop him from visiting the State
Department and the World Bank in Washington ... antagonizing his rival,
President Hugo Chávez."
FINANCIAL PREDICTIONS
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Morgan Stanley have come out in
support of a 'transitional government' for Venezuela, supporting Chavez's
removal from office. Petras says that " a number of stories have just come
out in the daily La Nacional mentioning that the IMF is willing to bankroll
a transitional government, a government that will replace Chavez." He
believes that, "the only way you do that is by coup." (Read these reports in
spanish at www.rebelion.org and www.el-nacional.com.)
The investment firm Goldman, Sachs and Company estimates that "Venezuela is
entering a profound recession," stating that "there is fear of a political
and economic collapse, the financial situation is in chaos, petroleum prices
have fallen, the country has suffered massive capital flight."
Petras believes that "the IMF and financial institutions are fabricating a
crisis. There is no economic crisis. The economic problems facing Chavez
have always been there, they are problems that Chavez inherited. Venezuela
is an oil rich country that pays its debts and follows IMF guidlines etc."
FEAR OF FOREIGN POLICY
Criticism by George Tenet, head of the CIA, and US Secretary of State Colin
Powell has intensified, as Chavez was repremanded some three times last
week. They stated that Chavez is undercutting American foreign policy by
providing oil to Cuba, opposing US counter-narcotics aid to Colombia, and
giving political support to guerrillas and anti-government forces in
neighboring Andean nations.
James Petras, believes that "Chavez is an extremely moderate politician who
is being hammered for not allowing drug-surveillance flights over Venezuela,
being opposed to plan Colombia and working with OPEC."
DICTATORSHIP WANTS BACK IN
In a recent meeting held in New York City organized to evaluate the delicate
political situation, Latin American experts agreed that, "Hugo Chavez must
resign, and that a transitional government must be installed." Ricardo
Hausmann, minister of Planning for ex-president Carlos Andrés Pérez and
professor at the University at Harvard affirmed that ,""the only possible
solution for resolving the current crisis is for Chavez to leave the
Government."
FEAR OF DOMESTIC POLICY
Fear of Chavez's peaceful revolution becoming a genuine socialist revolution
is escalating. The Spanish Minister of Exterior, also current President of
the European Union, Josep Piqué, has made a call for Chavez to maintain
"democratic institutions and respect the 'rights of all'. Powell has
reiterated his fears that Chavez is distorting the democratic free-market
model advocated in Washington by consolidating institutions under his
control and setting himself up as 'elected dictator.'
INSIDE VENEZUELA
Inside the country, the Chavez opposition organized a general strike in
December and a large march last month.
The latest in a series of anti-Chavez actions was lead by two men, Air Force
Col. Pedro Soto and National Guard Capt. Pedro Flores Rivero, held a small
rally to accuse the government of being 'non-democratic' and asked that
Chavez resign. They were sent home in uniform and placed under investigation
by a joint civilian and military board.
Petras believes "Chavez has taken remarkably mild measures against those
officers, officers that were asking for a military coup. They were
interrogated for one day, and released. They were acting in a way that goes
way beyond the democratic debate. If it happened in this country they would
have been tried as traitors."
(By Kim Alphandary - www.narconews.com )
Nello

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