The November Man: Once More Grappling with Hugo Chávez

Ray Walser / November 05, 2010

Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez recently returned from October encounters with some of the least savory actors on the international stage. His trip focused on cementing a new nexus or alignment in world affairs, some cleverly dubbed VIRUS. It is not a computer malfunction or a contagion but rather a shadowy network of cooperation linking Venezuela, Iran, Russia, and Syria.

A core element of VIRUS is developing nuclear capacity and acquiring nuclear weaponry, the ultimo ratio of international power politics. Chávez did exactly that when he purchased a nuclear reactor in Moscow, with a promise to buy more. And he is also procuring Russian missile technologies to develop a space launch center—for peaceful purposes, of course. (more…)