2008 Woodie Awards
Chavez paves way for dictatorship
Sean Kent
Issue date: 9/5/07 Section: Opinion
- Page 1 of 1
While most of the Western world has its eyes turned toward the Middle East, most notably on intervention in Iran and Iraq, Venezuela has taken another step in its gradual descent into fascism.
Earlier this month, President Hugo Chavez proposed numerous changes to the country's constitution, including one to lengthen presidential terms by a year and lift the limit on the number of consecutive terms an elected leader can serve.
For any person who's even somewhat cognizant of recent history, the fact that a leader of a mostly socialist state wants to do away with term limits should send up an immediate red flag.
While Chavez claims that he won't use the new laws to his advantage, who's going to stop him? While he vows to step aside after this, his last term, which he also hopes to extend, there is nothing to stop his re-nomination by popular referendum. While elections will continue to be held, they will be nothing more than elaborate shows to re-elect the man for life by popular vote.
Chavez has been shrewd in his rise to the top, following the strategy of other socialist rulers: give the people what they want and they'll support you to any end. In Venezuela's case, this involved developing a multi-billion dollar social services program that gave the majority of impoverished citizens better access to healthcare and education. Working with a legislature exclusively comprised of his fellow Fifth Republic Movement party members, Chavez easily defeated a 2004 recall attempt from his disorganized opposition. The same grateful, poor majority that benefited from his social development program and kept him in office three years is expected to overwhelmingly approve the presidential term changes.
From America's perspective, calling this a setback would be an understatement. While Castro's death is eagerly awaited, it seems that Chavez will eagerly fill the role of American agitator in the West. Although Venezuela doesn't have dangerous nuclear capabilities nor is as close to U.S. borders as Cuba, Chavez does pose a threat with the power and wealth he gains from his country's most significant natural resource, oil. If we continue to burn bridges in the Middle East and refuse to drill in Alaska, our energy-dependent nation will be forced to deal with other, potentially hostile countries with Texas tea.
In a sense, our strategy to starve militaristic Japan of oil before the outbreak of the Second World War could be turned against us as one of our biggest and closest foes now has a greater share of the proverbial cards.
In a few years, we're going to have to deal with a resource-rich country governened by an embedded president with every reason to deny us.
Earlier this month, President Hugo Chavez proposed numerous changes to the country's constitution, including one to lengthen presidential terms by a year and lift the limit on the number of consecutive terms an elected leader can serve.
For any person who's even somewhat cognizant of recent history, the fact that a leader of a mostly socialist state wants to do away with term limits should send up an immediate red flag.
While Chavez claims that he won't use the new laws to his advantage, who's going to stop him? While he vows to step aside after this, his last term, which he also hopes to extend, there is nothing to stop his re-nomination by popular referendum. While elections will continue to be held, they will be nothing more than elaborate shows to re-elect the man for life by popular vote.
Chavez has been shrewd in his rise to the top, following the strategy of other socialist rulers: give the people what they want and they'll support you to any end. In Venezuela's case, this involved developing a multi-billion dollar social services program that gave the majority of impoverished citizens better access to healthcare and education. Working with a legislature exclusively comprised of his fellow Fifth Republic Movement party members, Chavez easily defeated a 2004 recall attempt from his disorganized opposition. The same grateful, poor majority that benefited from his social development program and kept him in office three years is expected to overwhelmingly approve the presidential term changes.
From America's perspective, calling this a setback would be an understatement. While Castro's death is eagerly awaited, it seems that Chavez will eagerly fill the role of American agitator in the West. Although Venezuela doesn't have dangerous nuclear capabilities nor is as close to U.S. borders as Cuba, Chavez does pose a threat with the power and wealth he gains from his country's most significant natural resource, oil. If we continue to burn bridges in the Middle East and refuse to drill in Alaska, our energy-dependent nation will be forced to deal with other, potentially hostile countries with Texas tea.
In a sense, our strategy to starve militaristic Japan of oil before the outbreak of the Second World War could be turned against us as one of our biggest and closest foes now has a greater share of the proverbial cards.
In a few years, we're going to have to deal with a resource-rich country governened by an embedded president with every reason to deny us.