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March 16th., 2005
The Naked Revolution
Summary
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The Revolutions
faces the “media conspiracy.”
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Charges by The Inter
American Press Association (IAPA) on freedom of
expression, violence vs. newspeople and governmental
control of communication.
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The Supreme Court
decides that cases already decided in court may be,
again brought to trial.
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Two books recently
edited in La Habana are unsuspected and
highly-qualified to characterize the regime:
Chávez Nuestro and El Encuentro.
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In the last Aló
Presidente, Chávez made a special recommendation
of a
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third recent book:
Código Chávez. Its author, Eva Golingen, is
a Brooklyn lawyer who found in Chávez the client of
her life.
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In his last journey,
he offered to assume world leadership to face the U.
S. and he announced being ready to lead an uneven
war vs. the U. S. Army.
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Black Eye
Diplomacy: oil and gas as foreign policy tools.
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Zapatero facilitates
Chávez’s membership in The Socialist International
and Lagos’ Foreign Minister asks he not be seen in
Black and White.
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The next OAS
Meeting.
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Expectations of
Venezuelan Democratic Society.
Conclusions on the regime’s
characteristics may already be drawn. It is a
revolution inspired in the Cuban model; “populist Perón-style”,
during its fat-cows stage and with oil as a fundamental
tool in foreign policy. This new phase has been labeled
as one of “deepening.” So said Chávez last November.
He meant it. He lectured legislators, judges and
officialdom on how to jointly face the “media
conspiracy.” The State Machinery answered with military
discipline. Thus, the IAPA Panamá Resolution says that
freedom of expression is increasingly precarious due to:
regimented information; violence and threats vs.
newspeople; self-censure in the media and ever-growing
governmental control of communication. Likewise, other
international organizations of newspeople and human
rights have voiced concern. The regime reacted with
revolutionary language: IAPA is a Club of Thugs lacking
morality; it opposes popular processes. The State acts
to protect children and teenagers vs. the obscene media
neoliberalism. Legislation to control the media {The
Muzzle Act} is a tool of development and for the
creation of the citizenry.
The new President of the Supreme
Court also announced the arrival of revolutionary
justice: and so he showed it. The Court has dictated
that the res judicata, cases already
decided before may be brought, again, to trial. This
constitutes a gross violation of constitutional
principles. To allow the absolute character of is
judged would be to make legal illicit, arbitrary and
ant judicial deeds. He has also dictated that those
charged with rebellion, may be tried again for the same
deeds for which they had judged before. According to
the Minister of Defense, what the Court has done
¨strengthens the principle of obedience and
subordination within The Armed Forces.¨
In the phase of the Revolution,
wiping out latifundia becomes a waving flag with
excellent dividends. To expropriate the land of a
British member of nobility earns support at home and
abroad. Not so much Hatos Pińero, acknowledged
as a model of conservationist agro tourism. The problem
in either case is the constitutional principle of owner
compensation after a judicial process. The President of
The National Lands Institute decided the problem in his
own guise. He indicated that the so-called titles of
the thee occupants lacked validity as they were dated
back to the XVII Century in colonial times. THESE ARE
REVOLUTIONARY FORMULAS.
THE CASTRO-CHÁVEZ IDENTIFICATION
In The National Library (Caracas),
there are 253 books on Hugo Chávez –most written by
foreigners- as our Lt. Col. Is someone who draws
attention. Newspeople and intellectual, frequently have
written or propose to write about Chávez within the
scenario of Caribbean magic realism.
Two new works –edited in La Habana-
Chávez Nuestro and El Encuentro
are now in the Venezuelan Library. The former has an
interview with Chávez by reporters Rosa Miriam Elizalde
and Luis Báez. The book’s title speaks for itself: it
deals with words by Chávez about his identification with
Castro. The reporters add elements allowing the
identification of the Venezuelan ruler as patrimony of
The Cuban Revolution. The latter with Castro-Chávez
relationships 1994-2004, when cooperation accords were
signed bringing about the end of The Special Period in
Cuba due to the collapse of The Soviet Union: these are
factors of unsuspected qualifications for the
characterization of the regime.
In his last Aló Presidente,
Chávez especially recommended a recent third book:
Código Chávez. Its author, Eva Golinger is a
clever Brooklyn lawyer who found Chávez petrodollars to
make him the client of her life: she advises him on the
development of the dossier of U. S. meddling in
Venezuelan domestic affairs. Pieces in the dossier are
declassified documents. To date, its greatest finding
is NED donations to Súmate. This was not a
state secret as NED has to report -its financial
dealings- to Congress. Golinger is a shrewd girl: she
was inspired in Dan Brown’s bestseller for the title of
her book [edited and widely-distributed in Cuba and
Venezuela]. She has delivered an English version to be
massively sold in USA.
Our Lt. Col. is a character drawing
attention. In past weeks he was world news. Abundant
reports in the written and televised media. Readers and
viewers became perplexed on what they read, saw, or
heard. Perplexed, also, on the offer to lead the world
vs. USA and the proclamation of a XXI Century Socialist
Model, as the sole viable option. Likewise, his claim
that he is ready to lead an uneven war vs. The U. S.
Army. The view of some analysts is that this claim is
an excuse for the creation and consolidation of a
Paramilitary Militia Force, which eventually would play
the role of a repressive machinery vs. dissidence and
would also keep The Armed Forces under control. The
recently purchased 100,000 Russian rifles are, also,
part of these efforts.
Foreign media covered Chávez’s tour
and its reports were in pages of dailies from our
Continent, Asia and Europe. Only a few fail to mention
the Comandante’s support of Iran’s Atomic Program: he
did so, in such radical terms that Khatami himself felt
the need to qualify it: “Iran will deviate towards the
atomic bomb.” The analysis of the information
underscores two statements which are taken as
generally-accepted premises: a) The Castro-Chávez
Alliance and b) the importance of Venezuelan oil. In
the accords during this journey, oil was his business
card.
OIL IN THE REVOLUTIONARY
STRATEGY
In Montevideo he promised to take care of the energy
needs of Uruguay, as he had offered Argentina to
exchange petrodollars for bonds of that country’s debt.
He offered India fields where to extract 100,000 barrels
per day, to start with, and he gave President Chirac the
good news that TOTAL – The French Oil Enterprise- can
increase its production up to 400,000 barrels per day.
With Khatami he signed 28 accords centered on
petrodollars.
Black Gold Diplomacy makes up the title of a publicity
brochure –two pages- of State Petroleum (PDVSA) in
Últimas Noticias, the daily of largest
circulation. It reports of energy accords with Chevron;
Texaco; China; Russia; India; Middle East; Brazil;
Central America; France; Spain;; among others: oil and
gas are strategic for our foreign policy. The goal is
to create new relationships and to strengthen others
–subtitles in the brochure-
The text adds: foreign policy
signed by oil has brought about a weakening of relations
with USA, which before the revolution was the most
important. Oil as strategic tool of
the revolution is what objectively
characterizes the regime. The Prophet of XXI Century
Socialism is not disarmed. Hence, Rodríguez Zapatero is
working for the incorporation of Chávez’s Regime to the
Socialist International and President Lagos Foreign
Minister asks that the Venezuelan Regime not be seen in
Black and White: so argued the Chilean Right when The
Chicago Boys managed Pinochet’s economic policies.
The Revolution projects its
absolute consolidation in this year’s municipal and
parliamentary elections and a plebiscite acclamation for
Chávez in the 2006 presidential contest. Chávez has
considerable support but, in Venezuela, there remains an
enormous civic potential with a capacity to contain the
authoritarian process. Democratic will can be shown if,
the call for elections adjusted to constitutional and
legal norms gains enough strength. This would demand
domestic pressure and cooperation for the international
community.
The regime gives time and energies
to the organization of The OAS Meeting on 7 April.
Chávez –armed with oil- attempts to consolidate a bloc
to impose his candidate as Secretary General and
shutdown any possibility of reform of The Inter American
Democratic Charter. He awaits the gathering to show
that his uneven war may win in the turf of diplomacy, in
a Fort Lauderdale Battle, a symbol of enemy territory.
Whether or not The Charter is
reformed, what millions of Chávez dissenters in
Venezuela await is the solidarity of the democratic
community in their demand for respect of constitutional
norms on elections and human rights.
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