http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/13750497

Venezuela: Political Conditions and U.S. Policy

Under the populist rule of President Hugo Ch vez, first elected in 1998 and most recently reelected to a six-year term in December 2006, Venezuela has undergone enormous political changes, with a new constitution and unicameral legislature, and even a new name for the country, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. U.S. officials and human rights organizations have expressed concerns about the deterioration of democratic institutions and threats to freedom of expression under President Ch vez, who has survived several attempts to oust him from power. The government has benefited from the rise in world oil prices, which has sparked an economic boom and allowed Ch vez to increase expenditures on social programs associated with his populist agenda. Since he was reelected, President Ch vez has announced new measures to move the country toward socialism. Ch vez's closure of a popular Venezuelan television station (RCTV) that was critical of the government in late May 2007 sparked student-led protests and international condemnation. In August 2007, President Ch vez announced a series of proposed constitutional changes that many observers believe is an attempt to further concentrate power. The United States traditionally has had close relations with Venezuela, the fourth major supplier of foreign oil to the United States, but there has been friction in relations with the Ch vez government. U.S. officials have expressed concerns about President Ch vez's military arms purchases, his relations with such countries as Cuba and Iran, his efforts to export his brand of populism to other Latin American countries, and concerns about the state of democracy. Declining cooperation on antidrug and anti-terrorism efforts has also been a U.S. concern.

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