With a meeting of global leaders at the United Nations General Assembly this week, one wonders what Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez will say. During his speech in 2006 he referred to US President George W. Bush as the devil.
This time around, will he critique Barack Obama in the same way? In late March, after the US President criticized the Venezuelan government for supporting terrorism, Chávez fired back, calling him “a poor ignoramus”. In April, at the Summit of the Americas, Chávez took a softer approach, and presented Obama a copy of Eduardo Galeano’s Open Veins of Latin America.
The opportunity for Chávez to speak on such a public stage in New York enables him to criticize the United States as nothing more than an imperialist power. While brash comments by the Venezuelan president may not be well received by all, his focus on an external enemy enables him to solidify support amongst loyal supporters at home. There appears, however, much to question in his own country, including the rapid rise in inflation, and a high murder rate.
Chávez is often charismatic, and knows how to use publicity to his advantage. Tomorrow, the press will wait to see what he does with his time in the spotlight.
A few months ago, I wrote about the early stages of the conflict in Ukraine through the lens of Sun Tzu’s The Art of War. While it appears likely that the war will carry on into the foreseeable future, enough time has passed for us to make an honest assessment of each side’s relative […]
The Ukrainian Army has made dramatic strides in the last few weeks. Ukraine’s tactical commanders have outfoxed their Russian counterparts, and by issuing a feint towards the south the UA has been able to earn substantial gains in the north of their country. The impact of these efforts have been compounded by the steady stream […]
In mid-May the Irish political party, Sinn Féin, won the plurality of seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Many American readers might not fully understand the significance of Sinn Féin’s political victory- but rest assured that subjects of the United Kingdom and a wide range of political movements the world over have heard the message […]
The first wave of the Russian offensive in Ukraine has fallen short of Russian autocrat Vladmir Putin’s ambitions. Most analysts deduced that Putin had hoped to achieve a decapitation strike of the Ukrainian government- taking Kiev and replacing Ukrainian President Vladimir Zolinski with a pro-Kremlin voice. Kiev has been threatened repeatedly through the course of […]
On the weekend of March 26th, the notorious MS-13 gang went on a massive killing spree in El Salvador which left more than 70 people dead by Sunday. Even for a country where powerful gangs hold massive sway, this recent tragedy stands out considering that it was the bloodiest day on record since the civil […]
