May 17, 2010

Leaders of the European Union and Latin America are scheduled to convene this week in Madrid. A big cloud hanging over this meeting is likely to be the increasingly authoritiarain tendencies of the President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez. As recently as March, the EU Parliament issued a report critical of the state of civil liberties in Venezuela. Here are some questions that European leaders should ask of the Venezuela delegation.

Check out the video: http://www.youtube.com/user/WhatsNextVenezuela#p/f

May 13, 2010

On Thursday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez ordered the “forced acquisition” of a prominent Mexican food company. Gruma, one of the regional leaders in food production, is the top producer worldwide of corn and flour tortillas. The company has been operating in Venezuela since 1993.

Chávez’s expropriation order comes a month after Gruma accused Venezuelan authorities of retaliating against its local subsidiary for allegedly refusing to sell locally produced corn flour.

The order against Gruma comes 24 hours after Mr. Chávez announced via Twitter his decision to seize the privately-owned University of Santa Inés after accusing it of illegally offering degree programs.

“I inform, attention Bariñas, students of the Univ. Santa Inés, I have just approved the nationalization plan, for the good of all. Now: FOR FREE,” he tweeted.

In justifying its actions, the Venezuelan government said that the university “did not meet the legal and ethical requirements” required of a private enterprise.