Calling a State Sponsor a State Sponsor

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Jun 072010
 

By Roger F. Noriega
The American, May 29, 2010

A growing body of evidence points to Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez’s singular role in supporting terrorism and related criminality.

This month a dozen U.S. senators fired the opening salvo in what promises to be an aggressive oversight campaign to get to the bottom of Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez’s support for terrorism. A May 25 letter challenges Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to explain what the administration knows about Venezuela’s support for a sprawling network of terrorist states and groups, including Iran, Hezbollah, Colombian “narcoterrorists,” Cuba, and Syria. Continue reading »

Hugo Chavez’s implosion continues in Venezuela

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May 262010
 

By Jackson Diehl
Washington Post, May 26, 2010

hugo-chavezHugo Chavez has been keeping a relatively low profile of late — there have been no grand world tours, no fiery speeches at the United Nations. The Obama administration, which once promised to “engage” the Venezuelan caudillo, is instead quietly shunning him.

There’s a simple reason for this: the implosion of Chavez’s self-styled “Bolivarian socialism” is accelerating.

Figures reported Tuesday by the Chavez-controlled central bank portrayed an economy that is completely out of sync with the rest of the region — and perhaps unique in the world in the degree of its current distress. Gross national product fell by 5.8 percent in the first quarter, while inflation remained at 30 percent. Private investment plummeted by 27.9 percent as capital continued to flee the country.

Private economists suspect the economic contraction is even worse than what the official figures concede. But let’s assume they are correct. Venezuela’s crash compares with quarterly growth rates of 8 percent in Brazil, Argentina and Mexico. It comfortably exceeds the collapse of Greece, which contracted by 3 percent in the first quarter. Continue reading »

Venezuela and Iran: Going to the Next Level

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May 142010
 

Douglas Farah, May 14, 2010

The recent unclassified Pentagon assessment of Iran’s military powerreleased last month to Congress shows official reporting is finally catching up to reality on the ground in regard to Iran’s Latin American activities. The increase comes at a time of deep economic troubles for the Chávez government in Venezuela, as noted by the Hudson Institute’s Jaime Daremblum.

It is also only the most public looks at how Venezuela and Iran are enhancing their military partnerships, particularly in field of asymmetrical warfare where both states are hoping to use their non-state proxies to take on the “Empire,” meaning the United States. For a range of views on this, see my chapter and others in Woodrow Wilson Center publication Iran in Latin America: Threat or Axis of Annoyance?

The assessment contains several interesting nuggets, including that Iran’s highest priority is the survival of the regime, and hence its fixation with asymmetrical warfare and its outreach to groups that oppose U.S. interests. This includes the Boliviarian states of Latin America. (For those who read Spanish, I have an article in the most recent Poder magazine on some of these issues). The DOD assessment does not discuss Iran’s blossoming financial network across the region. Continue reading »

The time of testing is coming for Obama

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Apr 242010
 

Jim Stuart
American Thinker, April 24, 2010

In 1962, after nuclear missiles were discovered in Cuba, President John F. Kennedy faced down his Soviet Rival Nikita Khrushchev, almost precipitating a nuclear exchange. The principal reason JFK took a firm stand was to protect his image. In those days, with the Cold War in full swing, it was important to maintain a posture of strength and resolve.

Each side was constantly testing the other for signs of weakness that could be exploited. Earlier in 1961, Kennedy had been humiliated at the Bay of Pigs, and Eisenhower had warned him that the Soviets would be emboldened as a result. So when the missiles were discovered, Kennedy’s primary concern was not any strategic advantage they might pose (the US had offsetting nuclear missiles already installed in Italy and Turkey), but rather, that he not appear weak. Such was his concern for his image of strength and resolve that he was willing to risk a nuclear confrontation. Continue reading »

Iran boosts Qods shock troops in Venezuela

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Apr 212010
 

Bill Gertz
Washington Times, April 21, 2010

Iran is increasing its paramilitary Qods force operatives in Venezuela while covertly continuing supplies of weapons and explosives to Taliban and other insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the Pentagon’s first report to Congress on Tehran’s military.

The report on Iranian military power provides new details on the group known formally as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), the Islamist shock troops deployed around the world to advance Iranian interests. The unit is aligned with terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, North Africa and Latin America, and the report warns that U.S. forces are likely to battle the Iranian paramilitaries in the future.

The Qods force “maintains operational capabilities around the world,” the report says, adding that “it is well established in the Middle East and North Africa and recent years have witnessed an increased presence in Latin America, particularly Venezuela.” Continue reading »

Chavez Keeps Venezuela in the Dark

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Feb 112010
 

by Christopher Helman
Forbes.com, February 11, 2010

ChavezToday came the news that the government of Hugo Chavez has resorted to banning the illumination of roadside billboards in an attempt to help reduce electricity consumption in the midst of Venezuela’s severe power shortage.

The immediate cause of the shortage is low water levels behind Venezuela’s hydroelectric dams. The deeper cause is Chavez’ refusal to invest in new power plants.

New reckonings of Venezuela’s oil wealth suggest that the country’s vast heavy oil reserves contain twice the barrels of Saudi Arabia. A decade ago state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela, with partners like Exxon and BP were turning that heavy oil into a product called Orimulsion, used as a boiler fuel in power plants. Then Chavez fired dozens of PDVSA engineers and has since starved the company of capital. Orimulsion production has been curtailed.

It’s some leader who would rather keep his people in the dark than use that fuel to make electricity. More preposterous: that Venezuelans put up with this oppression rather than fight for their right to light.

Source: Forbes.com

Electricity emergency in oil rich Venezuela

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Feb 092010
 

hugo-chavezby Rick Moran
American Thinker, February 9, 2010

All hail our great President for Life and his Miracle Socialist Revolution!

Despite its huge crude reserves, the South American OPEC member relies on hydro-electricity for 70 percent of its power needs, and a drought has hit supply since late 2009.

“We are ready to decree the electricity emergency, because it really is an emergency,” Chavez said in the first edition of a show on state radio air waves called “Suddenly Chavez.” Continue reading »

In Venezuela, Rage Against Chavez’s Marxist Machine, While Movie Stars Sport Che’s Icon

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Feb 022010
 

by Humberto Fontova
BigJournalism.com, February 2, 2010

Hugo Chavez’ inspirational debt to Ernesto “Che” Guevara is such that he titled his regime’s socio-economic model, “Mision Che Guevara.” Don’t look for much of this in the MSM–but as I write Venezuela’s youth are hitting the streets in the tens of thousands and with raised fists–against socialism (having gotten a taste of it.)

In response, Chavez’ police and brownshirt goon-squads (some mimicking their national leader by wearing Che T-shirts) bludgeon, tear gas, shoot and arrest hundreds of rebellious Venezuelan youth.

VENEZUELA-PROTESTS/

Continue reading »

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