Ambassadorial High Jinks: Will Obama Cave on Venezuela?

Ray Walser / January 06, 2011

During the month of December, Venezuela’s authoritarian populist president actively used a lame duck legislature to expand his already unchecked executive power, culminating in a December 17 grant of “broad powers to enact laws by decree for a year and a half.” He did this before a new legislative body with a significant opposition presence took office on January 5.

While undertaking the power grab, Chavez continued to bait the U.S. by saying he would not accept nominated envoy Larry Palmer, whose critical comments regarding Chavez’s support for terrorism and politicized military drew the repeated ire of the Venezuelan president. On December 20, the Venezuelan government formally rejected Palmer, switching off the diplomatic green light it gave in early 2010. (more…)