Venezuelian Foreign Policy

Résumé du document

Articles on the subject of Venezuelan foreign policy are abundant, and easily available. Every political action, speech, or voyage of President Chavez is diligently covered by the media. It is because of the availability of such detailed information, that I decided to study a diversity of articles focusing on different subjects to give an overview of Venezuelan foreign policy, that rather than investigate an individual subject for which there is a plethora of articles. Thus in this dossier we will be treating different subjects from various media perspectives. On one hand we have extracts from military journals that are favorable to the Chavist regime such as ?El Militante', which is a Marxist-Revolutionary journal, or publications, devoted to the international campaign "hands off Venezuela." With respect to this pro Chavez line, I have also consulted official government sources. On the other hand, I have chosen articles, published by journals opposed to the Chavist regime, like ?El Universal', or journals that have an exterior perspective, such as certain European publications (The Herald Tribune, El Pais, La Razon, El Mundo), to see how this Chavist activism is perceived from an external perspective, as well as for a critical approach. Other articles that are neither Latin American nor Venezuelan are also included in the annex. For example, ?La Cronica' gives us a point of view closer to the people, and publications from URRU, the organization that has a relation with UNESCO, has a far more critical vision of the Chavez regime with respect to human rights, and freedom of speech.

Extraits

[...] - At the national level, Venezuelan foreign policy, with its activism as demonstrated in the articles, can also be envisaged as an internal strategy in order to hold on to power. Indeed, in employing symbols as emblematic as that of Simon Bolivar (cf the populist character of the Chavist regime) in international conferences, and describing Venezuela as a progressive country which assists its people, insisting on education in order to reduce poverty, and so that children are not in the streets, which conforms to UN recommendations concerning education, and the environment (they stop short of mentioning violence and delinquency _article affects the spirit of the county which has the impression that Chavez will resolve all of its problems as he had promised since his first mandate even if it is little by little. [...]

[...] Dos venezolanos pasaron por Paris, uno avasallo y se impuso con el poder que da el petróleo. El otro, discreto y gentil, vino buscando solidaridad para una causa justa, que es la misma de todos los venezolanos que añoramos reestablecer la convivencia política en Venezuela, no obstante, encontró bastante reticencias ideológicas en su camino. Pero no hay duda de que con el tiempo, como en el famoso relato bíblico, David que representa la inteligencia, triunfara contra la fuerza. Entretanto los venezolanos enfrentamos solos a nuestro Goliat. [...]

[...] The problematic and the questions they pose for Venezuela at an international level. The problematic of the articles that I have chosen focuses on understanding the strategy currently lead by Venezuela: Is it a strategy of affirming the Venezuelan position on the international scene? A strategy of guaranteeing national interests? Or a strategy of internal policy in order to remain in power. To provide a response, it is necessary to take note of the fact that Venezuelan foreign policy is an issue of particular significance today, and poses questions at the different levels that Chavez operates: - First of all, at the international level, with on one hand the critique of the current multi-lateral system, and on the other, the affirmation of Venezuela as a leader of developing countries (and leader of the revolution). [...]

[...] En este sentido, fustigó las declaraciones de Fox en las que acusó a Chávez de intolerante y de promover falsos debates en la Cumbre. "Cuando te vas a calentar a una plaza ( . ) teniendo a cuarenta mil almas en frente a hablar cosas que no analizaron el debate real, a fondo de la reunión, buscando las cámaras y donde dijo que debía sepultar el acuerdo de libre comercio; eso ( . ) lo llevó a extremos de inconsistencia y de falta de tolerancia", dijo Fox. [...]

[...] - Then at the regional level, given the fact that Venezuela can represent an alternative to the domination of the United States over the region. Indeed, if this domination is not as clear as it was in the 18th, 19th and the 20th century until the cold war, it continues to be present in the consciousness and daily life of Latin Americans (for example the evaluation of democracy in Latin America, the funding of the fight against terror and the drug trade Thus, several initiatives such as the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas _articles 1 and 10_ and the active refusal of the Free Trade Area of the Americas, discussed during the Summit of the Americas on November 4,5 and cause of diplomatic crisis between Venezuela and Mexico _article demonstrates that Venezuela could be the leader of a coalition of Latin American countries that would disrupt the hegemony of the United States. [...]