Washington and Venezuela’s ties are further frayed as Miami consul general is expelled from the country. President Obama’s authorization of the expulsion of the Venezuelan consul general from the consulate office in Miami has further deteriorated relations between the two countries. Although the Obama administration has not been explicit as to the reason for the expulsion, the action is within Washington’s legal right. This decision makes it even more apparent that Washington is unwilling...
When Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez spent a long absence from his country in Cuba earlier last year, opponents and sympathizers alike wondered about his future as his nation’s undisputed commander in chief. But mounting speculations about the exact nature and implications of his ailment proliferated. Later, it began to circulate that Chávez was suffering from an advanced case of colon cancer after information was made public by the Spanish media. After his health circumstances...
The “Bolivarian Missions” under Chávez have increased healthcare coverage—especially to the poor segments of society—improved education, and eradicated illiteracy. He has repeatedly failed to reach his housing goal; a crippling crime rate and high level of corruption are still pressing issues. Hugo Chávez has made great efforts to diversify the country’s assets in major industries such as finance, construction, trade, and communications, but Venezuela still struggles with a fluctuating economy due to its dependence...
Muammar Gaddafi, a man who normally shunned courtly friends in the Arab world, ruled his country from 1969 until August 2011, when Libyan rebels defeated the authoritarian ruler. After the overthrow of former Presidents Mubarak of Egypt and Ben Ali of Tunisia during the Arab Spring, it was only a matter of time before local reformers brought down Gaddafi. During his period of resistance, Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez and Cuba’s Castro brothers began to speak...
The surge of crime throughout Latin America has crashed into the United States’ consciousness with the recently thwarted abduction of baseball star Wilson Ramos, which rocked the American sports world. The young, talented Venezuelan catcher for the Washington Nationals had been playing in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League this offseason when he was seized by armed captors and taken from his home on November 9, 2011. This incident, extensively covered by the international media...
