Venezuela has always been corrupt – at least ever since I’ve been around. But it seems as if corruption has exploded in the last year, or two. If we are to go by the outlandish stories one hears, then whatever you might have thought about corruption a few years ago is now peanuts. One of…
As per usual, Quico and I see the unfolding scandal that is Diosdado Cabello way differently. While Quico thinks this whole charade is only of interest to historians, I think the unraveling of the Suns Cartel has tremendous implications for the power balance within chavismo. First off, I want to highlight my favorite parts from José…
The Venezuelan government loves to talk about “coups.” Business people are engaged in an “economic coup.” Opposition politicians are planning an “electoral coup.” Journalists are continuous agents of an “informational coup.” And so on… So when the government decried a “coup” by members of the Air Force and other military personnel back in February, few of us…
Making decisions can be tough, especially if you’re expected to solve the worst economic crisis in our petrostate’s memory on a 22% approval rating, and don’t have the first clue what you’re doing. Leave it to a psychopath like the Defense Minister to show you how it’s done. While Maduro dithers like a paralyzed hamster at the…
I´m under the weather this week, so I’ll stick to re-posting interesting things that reach my Inbox. Today, Bloomberg has a story on how the military find all sorts of goodies, from cars to apartments, while regular Venezuelans face shortages. One thing that has always baffled me about my country is how the military remains one of…
Good news, everyone! There’s a new military force in town! Meet the Clash Force (Fuerza de Choque)! (It sounds like a Chuck Norris movie). This week’s Official Gazette mentions the creation of this brand new force, which is put under the supervision of the Organizational Strategic Command of the Armed Forces (CEOFANB). Its mission? Fight…
It must be frustrating to cover Venezuela for international news organizations. The country is crappy enough to make it burdensome to live there, but not nearly crappy enough for you to earn journalistic prestige points for covering it as opposed to, say, Iraq. Add to that the notorious lack of transparency of the “no comment revolution,” and…
The international press is going to town with this story. Three pieces stand out … ABC’s Emili J. Blasco (the well-sourced Washington correspondent with the juicy details on Hugo Chávez’s illness) says sources in Washington confirm Carvajal was the “main figure” in the drug-running operation set up between the FARC, the Venezuelan military, and Hugo Chávez…
A few months ago, Nicolás Maduro appointed former general Hugo Carvajal to be Consul General of Venezuela to the Dutch island of Aruba. Yesterday, as Carvajal laid low in the island waiting for the Dutch government to approve his position, he was detained. The US had asked the Netherlands to incarcerate and extradite him. Carvajal was head of…
I just got back from a short trip to Maracaibo. One of the many things that struck me (more on that in future posts) is the extent to which the enchufados hold the key to Venezuela’s future. I don’t know if it was the fact that I was in a border town overrun by pimpineros,…
I’m late discovering Marcel Ventura’s work (here is his stuff for Prodavinci) but … what a stylish writer. His latest for The Daily Beast – on the military, drugs, and how it all gels together in a government he somehow stops short of calling a narco-state – is a keeper. The money quote: “According to every reliable poll, Maduro…
One of the constant images of the current wave of protests has been the overwhelming and excessive use of tear gas by the National Guard and other security forces against demostrators. You might ask where all those cannisters come from: Russia? After all we have spent a lot of money buying them military stuff. Maybe……
The folks at the FT are worried. Very worried. Two money quotes, given their annoying firewalls: “In a report last week which was otherwise bullish on supplies, analysts at Citigroup called Venezuela “probably the biggest bull risk to the oil market in 2014 outside of the MENA [Middle East and north Africa] region.” “The current…
Recluta… there’s a word that brings memories. (In most, if not all cases, not happy ones). For a country that’s gone over 150 years without a proper shootin’ war, the need for a military draft is a little hard to understand, and yet we’ve had one for as long as anyone can remember. My dad…
How’s this for an Orwelian agency title? The Strategic Center for the Security and Protection of the Fatherland (CESPPA) , tha thas been just set up by decree to control all public information. What are CESPPA’s tasks? To gather, analyse, organize and review relevant information for the nation’s strategic interests. The thing is… there’s already…
Caracas Chronicles 