لا يوجد مواد (= “no hay material” in Arabic)
Do yourself a favor and go read Kejal Vyas’s blog post about what happens when Saudi officialdom collides head on with Hugoslavic chaos. It’s wicked fun.
Boa sorte, Brasil
We’ve been tempted to write about the rocky Presidential election in Brazil, but have held back due to how volatile it has been. One day a candidate dies in a plane crash, then we’re looking at an environmental activist and former housemaid being elected, and the next day we’re tempted to crow about sensible Aécio Neves as…
All your Torre de David are belong to us
If there’s a symbol of today’s Venezuela, is probably the skyscraper-turned-slum known as “La Torre de David”. The high-rise slum has become so famous abroad, that even Hollywood has taken note. But its days could be numbered according to this report from newspaper Tal Cual. Why is that? Because China. Our Chinese overlords want to turn the…
The scandalous Mr. Aveledo
Ramón Guillermo Aveledo, the Secretary General of the MUD, got mired in a public relations disaster today. It all started this morning. During a hearing in the United States Senate, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Roberta Jacobson said, under oath, that “members of the MUD” had explicitly asked her to not impose sanctions on representatives of the Venezuelan…
Venezuela as a hot-button campaign issue… just not in Venezuela
On May 4th, Panama will go to the polls to elect a new president and all 71 members of its single-chamber National Assembly. While the electoral campaign there has mostly focused on domestic issues such as safety, education, and the expansion of the canal, the case of Venezuela has also become somewhat of an issue. Last month, Nicolas…
Esequibo blues
For generations, all maps of Venezuela have included the term “Area in Contention” (Zona en Reclamacion) to highlight the Guayana Esequiba, currently administered by our neighbor to the East, the Co-operative Republic of Guyana. It is the largest part of what they say is their territory. Instead, our maps are the only exception to the rule, which sees…
Reading the Fair Prices Law is hazardous to your health
I read the Fair Prices Law and I got a huge migraine. I wrote about it for FP (the law, not the migraine). The value added: “The effect of the bill is clear: entrepreneurship in Venezuela is now an illegal activity. Thanks to this bill, the basic freedoms that should guide any society — freedom to innovate, private…
Cancillería blues
After four years without a salary increase, the workers of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MPPRE) said “enough!” this week and staged a loud protest outside the Ministry’s Administrative Building in Caracas. What was the response from the higher ranks? Here’s a video of Human Resources Director Yajumari González, who descended from her office to give…
Peking (lame) duck
A few weeks ago I wrote an article for Foreign Policy’s Transitions blog about Nicolás Maduro’s China trip. Given the influence China is playing in how Venezuela shapes its policies, I labeled Maduro the Manchurian President. (If you have trouble accessing the article, here it is in Portuguese) Tom O’Donnell expands on this and provides…
Unwitting victims
Yesterday Nicolás Maduro expelled three diplomats from the US Embassy. This was all a temper tantrum, a diversion based on false accusations as we all know. But you know what rarely gets mentioned when these incidents occur? The toll it takes on families and livelihoods. The people that got expelled for simply being American had…
Why doesn’t the opposition say more about Syria?
Nicolás Maduro is highly supportive of Syria’s dictatorial mass-murderer Bashar el Assad. He has sent subsidized diesel to Syria. At one point, there was even a nonstop Caracas-Damascus flight. Even now, the government is busy warning the US not to attack Syria, organizing rallies, writing “letters,” and basically covering Assad’s ass while saying nothing of…
Shadow foreign policy
Over at Foreign Policy’s Transitions blog, I discuss the opposition’s new diplomatic offensive. The value added: These trips are part of a new phase for the Venezuelan opposition. For the first time, they are embarking on a serious diplomatic offensive. The opposition believes that international pressure is the only thing the government will respond to,…
Even the “food sovereignty” is imported…
Food Minister Félix Osorio (brother of his predecessor, Carlos) has indicated that at least 26,000 tons of food (just under 1 Kg. per person) have been arriving to the country each day, not only to contain the current wave of shortages but also to create a new reserve. While the Maduro government insists that “food…
Diosdado IS chavismo
My take on the Mario Silva recording, over at the Transitions blog. The value added: The way that [the scandal] plays out will reflect who holds the key to power within chavismo: either the heavily corrupt, nationalist military wing headed by Cabello or the radical, pro-Cuban wing that Silva represents. Early indications are that Silva…
Caracas Chronicles 