Charged for Insulting Government Authority? Venezuela Supreme Court Crosses the Line
In the U.S., courts often rule on the outcome of close elections and act as a mediation tool for candidates to ensure that the results… Read More
The Growing Presence of Iran in Latin America
The Oversight and Management Efficiency Subcommittee recently held a hearing about Iran’s influence and presence in Latin America. Contrary to a prior report released by… Read More
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Edward Snowden and His Friends
Edward Snowden, the self-glamorizing leaker of National Security Agency secret programs, is still holed up in an airport in Moscow, where he’s been stuck for… Read More
Human Rights: A Quiet Victory in the Americas
In early June, the Organization of American States (OAS) elected three new members to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), an OAS body, whose… Read More
Buyer Beware: Secretary Kerry and Venezuela
On the margins of the general assembly of the Organization of American States in Guatemala, Secretary of State John Kerry met with Venezuela’s foreign minister,… Read More
Venezuela’s Bipolar Post-Chavez Regime Arrests American Filmmaker
On April 25, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro announced the arrest of American Timothy Hallet Tracy. “The gringo who financed the violent groups,” Maduro said, “has… Read More
Venezuela: The Wrong President Takes Office
There is good reason to believe that Nicolas Maduro is not the legitimate president of Venezuela. Nonetheless Maduro was sworn into office on April 19… Read More
Despite Victory Claim, Big Setback for Chavismo in Venezuela
On April 14, some 14.8 million Venezuelans went to the polls to select a new president to replace Hugo Chavez, who died on March 5…. Read More
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Venezuela Presidential Election: Continuing the Chavez Decline
Voters go to the polls on Sunday, April 14, to elect Venezuela’s next president. Snap elections followed the March 5 death of the authoritarian populist… Read More
Heritage Analysts: What We Saw in Venezuela
The situation encountered by Heritage analysts on the ground in Venezuela last week was of a country that has been looted and is falling apart—literally… Read More
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U.N. General Assembly Adopts the Arms Trade Treaty
This morning, by a vote of 154 nations in favor (including the United States), 23 abstentions, and three against (Syria, North Korea, and Iran), the… Read More
Venezuela Tries to Weaken Human Rights Watchdog
A group of populist Latin American states—led by Bolivia, Ecuador, and Venezuela—hopes to reduce the role of an international human rights commission and watchdog. These… Read More
The Arms Trade Treaty, Week Two: The Ways It Might Fail
In New York, the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) conference is entering its final phase, and the ways in which the negotiations might fail are becoming… Read More
Beware of Venezuela’s Paranoid Anti-Americanism
Two weeks after the death of President Hugo Chavez from cancer, Venezuela’s interim chief and Chavista presidential candidate Nicolas Maduro is increasingly resorting to wild,… Read More
Post-Chávez, Caribbean Should Snub PetroCaribe
As some Venezuelans mourn the death of populist President Hugo Chávez, their northern neighbors in the Caribbean Basin shouldn’t shed a tear. In 2005, members… Read More
Who Killed Hugo Chávez? Why Not Ask Raul Castro and Michael Moore?
Today, Venezuela will hold the official state funeral for Hugo Chávez. Already, ceremonies in honor of El Comandante are well underway. On Wednesday, a caravan… Read More
Morning Bell: Why the Death of Hugo Chavez Matters
Tears streamed down the face of Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro yesterday as he announced that longtime Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez was dead. The news… Read More
Reckless and Outrageous: Chavez Heir Accuses U.S. of Murder
The government of Venezuela has announced that Hugo Chavez died this afternoon. His death was not unexpected. What is unexpected is what occurred earlier today…. Read More
Cuba: Raul Castro Is Out-Punching the U.S.
A gaggle of democratic states gathered in Santiago, Chile, in late January handed over leadership of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean Nations to… Read More
Ecuador’s Correa Contends for Anti-Liberty Leadership in Latin America
If cancer revokes President Hugo Chavez’s mandate for indefinite rule in Venezuela, it will leave leadership of the radical-left, anti-liberty Bolivarian Alliance (ALBA) in Latin… Read More
Chavez’s Return to Caracas Answers Few Questions
In the early morning of February 18, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez tweeted that he was back in Caracas, after spending over two months in a… Read More
Why Was an Iranian Official Found with Millions in Venezuelan Money?
On January 21, German authorities at Dusseldorf Airport discovered a check for 300 million bolivars (about $70 million) in the luggage of Tahmasb Mazaheri, Iran’s… Read More
Waiting for Hugo Chavez: Theatrics and a Languishing Economy
It has now been two months since Venezuela President Hugo Chavez departed Miraflores Palace (Venezuela’s White House) to undergo cancer surgery in Havana, Cuba. Very… Read More
U.S. and EU Should Take a Firm Stand for Rule of Law in Latin America
In 2011, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez organized the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in 2011 specifically to serve as a regional body… Read More
Chile’s Strong Economy: A Case of Positive Policy and Freedom
Chile continues to lead Latin America in 2013 in both economic growth and economic freedom. These positive outcomes reflect well on the solid policy choices… Read More
In the Intensive Care Ward: Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s Economy
The failure of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez to appear for what was to be his swearing-in for a fourth presidential term in Caracas on January 10… Read More
Chavez’s Swearing-In No Show: Dispensing with a Constitutional “Formality”
According to Venezuela’s constitution, Hugo Chavez—elected president for an unprecedented fourth term in October 2012—must be sworn in as president on January 10, but it… Read More
Venezuela: Hurtling Toward the Post-Chavez Chasm
Over the holidays, Venezuelans continued to receive increasingly grim news regarding the health of President Hugo Chavez. Current Vice President and Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro… Read More
Chavez’s Authoritarian Regime Sweeps Governorships
One week after Hugo Chavez stunned his nation with news of new cancer surgery and anointed Vice President and Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro as his… Read More
Hugo Chavez Shocks Venezuela with Latest Cancer Surgery, Heir Apparent
On December 8, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced his immediate return to Havana for a fourth round of cancer surgery. Chavez’s emergency return to Cuba… Read More
