terrorism

all the facts and news in Venezuela on terrorism and how it influences all decisions made by Hugo Chavez as president implications for Venezuelan terrorism.

Jun
20
2012
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Chávez Furthers Military Partnerships with Iran, Russia

drones chavez 478x270 1 Chávez Furthers Military Partnerships with Iran, Russia

Courtesy of: AFP

Hugo Chávez is making major investments into Venezuela’s military capacity, and it is raising new questions about his choice of allies and the aims of his military stockpiling. Last week, he announced the production of assault rifles in a joint venture with Russia, which comes on the heels of the revelation that he is building unmanned aerial vehicles with help from Iran.

Always the showman, Chávez made the announcement of a joint venture with Russia in a three-hour television broadcast from the factory where they are being assembled, proudly displaying the new weapons. He said they are for “internal defense,” but the announcement will likely increase U.S. concerns about his government and its role in the South America.

A Spanish daily newspaper has reported that U.S. prosecutors in New York are investigating Iran’s sale of unmanned aircraft to Venezuela. The report details the convoluted payments that kept the deal hidden as well as increased collaboration between the two countries’ militaries. Officials are investigating to ensure that Iran is not using these arms deals to set up a military command in Latin America.

Though the vehicles involved are not advanced enough to pose a threat to the United States, the transaction is another chapter in the close relationship between Venezuela and Iran. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad recently announced plans to visit Venezuela after the upcoming Rio +20 conference, and just last month Venezuela and Iran signed a joint agreement to build an off-shore oil platform. Moreover, Venezuela continues to buy oil tankers from Iran. And while most of the West has trade sanctions on the Middle-Eastern nation, Venezuela carries on sending supplies to and signing business deals with Iran.

Venezuela’s military agreement with Russia is not new either. The country’s imports from Russia are on the rise, mostly because of increased military purchases. In global matters, President Hugo Chávez has stood with Russia on many of its most controversial decisions. Recently, he announced his solidarity with Russia in support of the current Syrian government, who Venezuela has continued to supply with oil, despite the recent violence that has taken place.

Regardless of the military capacity that this deal provides, it is another clear rejection of American diplomatic goals. Chávez continues to show that his foreign policy is predicated on showing the world that he can, and will, do business with countries regardless of their ideology, human rights record, or political system. Moreover, he’s shown a special affinity for nations that the United States views warily.

 
Jun
8
2012
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 6/8/12

07latitude venezA blog480 In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 6/8/12

This week: Hugo Chávez announces he will register his candidacy on the last possible day, June 11; while Henrique Capriles continues on the campaign trail, Chávez has been absent, forcing his party to run his without him; Dan Rather’s report that Chávez has only two months to live restarts rumors about possible successors, and raises questions about what will happen to chavismo post-Chávez; exiting World Bank Chief Zoellick tells the world that Chávez and his policies are on their way out, and that the region should prepare for his exit; the value of Venezuelan bonds continues to go up, as investors bet on a transition to a more market-friendly economy and better business practices for the state-owned oil company; Venezuela’s currency continues to fall, however, reaching an all-time low this month. Meanwhile, Chávez and his allies also pushed for reforms designed to cripple the OAS’s human rights commission, as Chávez continues to support the Syrian government, despite the recent massacre; at home, Venezuela has one of the highest murder rates in the world.

Chavez to launch Venezuela candidacy in person, Reuters

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez will personally go to register his candidacy for the October 7 election on Monday, officials said, dampening rumors he might be too unwell from cancer or considering a successor.

Chavez absent as team oils campaign machine, AFP

In a crowded square of the biggest shantytown in Caracas, President Hugo Chavez’s reelection campaign wheels are spinning.

A report by Dan Rather fires up the Caracas rumor mill, Foreign Policy

The news hit Venezuela’s gossip-sphere with a thud: According to “a highly respected source close to Chávez who is in a position to know his medical condition and history,” Hugo Chávez’s cancer has now “entered the end stage.”

Venezuela, oil and Chavismo without Chavez: Campbell, Reuters

Hugo Chavez’s picture is everywhere in Venezuela and may remain ubiquitous for some time, despite the president’s serious illness.

World Bank Chief Zoellick Says Chavez’s ‘Days Are Numbered’, Businessweek

World Bank President Robert Zoellick said Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s “days are numbered” economically and politically and that the region should prepare to move into a new era of democracy on his eventual exit.

Fading Chávez Rouses Markets, The Wall Street Journal

As investors flee stock markets around the world, some of them are scoping out an unlikely destination: Venezuela.

Venezuela’s dollar crunch, The Financial Times

Call it what you like: “green lettuce”, “fresh avocado” or “your Benjamin”. Just don’t use the word “dollar” when talking about any value of Venezuela’s currency, the bolivar, other than the official one.

Pressing for OAS changes, leftist governments of 4 Latin American nations quit defense treaty, The Washington Post

Four Latin American countries announced Tuesday that they’re pulling out of a regional defense treaty while pressing for changes in the Organization of American States.

Despite Massacre, Chávez Fueling Friendship With Syria, The Daily Beast

In Venezuela, La Negra Hipolita is considered a latter-day saint. Born a slave, she cared for the infant Simón Bolívar, who grew up to become Latin America’s storied liberator, and later, the hero of President Hugo Chávez.

Counting by Murders, The New York Times

One hundred fifty-five thousand seven hundred and eighty-eight. That, according to new research by the Venezuelan criminologist Fermín Mármol García, is the number of murders committed in Venezuela since 1999.

 
Jun
4
2012
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What’s Next Venezuela Election Update: June 4, 2012

Venezuela Capriles Seamstress.JPEG 0446b 300x200 What’s Next Venezuela Election Update: June 4, 2012
Courtesy of: the Associated Press

With four months until the elections, presidential candidates Hugo Chávez and Henrique Capriles have taken the first steps to officially register their candidacies. A new poll released last week shows that the race is nearly tied. Capriles, meanwhile, has been campaigning furiously, going house to house in Venezuela’s poorer regions, wearing bright shirts that his supporters also don in shows of solidarity. Capriles presents his plans to solve the drug problems and violence that plague the country. Though the campaign has begun, Chávez has been conspicuous only in his absence, as his party essentially runs his campaign without him. He is instead trying to win votes by pumping billions of borrowed bolivars into the economy. All the while, his silence and the mystery surrounding his illness continue to have analysts wondering what is in store for the country’s future.

Chavez Registers Presidential Candidacy Via Internet, Bloomberg

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez carried out the first step of registering his candidacy for October presidential elections via Internet today, an electoral official said.

New poll has Venezuela’s Chávez still in lead, The Miami Herald

With less than five months to go before Venezuelan elections, President Hugo Chávez is leading in a new poll, but the race remains tight amid doubts about his health.

In Venezuela, casual shirts worn by opposition’s presidential candidate a boon for seamstress, The Washington Post

In a home with bare brick walls and a zinc roof, a 58-year-old seamstress with short, curly hair is sewing shirts for a young politician who she thinks has a good shot at unseating Hugo Chavez as president of Venezuela.

Capriles vows to fight against drug trafficking, El Universal

Henrique Capriles, the presidential candidate for opposition umbrella group Unified Democratic Panel (MUD), on Wednesday visited Achaguas, in central Apure state, where he received many complaints about alleged drug trafficking in the area.

Capriles: The country will elect between life and death on October 7, El Universal

In the opinion of Henrique Capriles Radonski, the candidate for opposition Unified Democratic Panel (MUD), in 14 years of government, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez has eluded the issue of insecurity.

Chavez absent as team oils campaign machine, AFP

In a crowded square of the biggest shantytown in Caracas, President Hugo Chavez’s reelection campaign wheels are spinning. But a bit like a movie missing its star, the president is not on the trail.

Venezuela Lawmakers Approve Extra Spending Ahead of Election, Businessweek

The finance committee of Venezuela’s National Assembly approved an extra 5.9 billion bolivars ($1.4 billion) in spending this year, in part to fund an increase in the minimum wage five months before the presidential election.

Hugo Chávez’s Terminal Mystery Cancer And Venezuela’s Looming Power Vacuum, International Business Times

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez appeared vigorous and in high spirits, wearing a track suit like his Socialist comrade Fidel Castro, in front of television cameras as he stepped off the plane in Caracas earlier this month.