FYI: Heritage WebMemos are now called Issue Briefs. On February 12, nearly 3 million Venezuelans voted in the nation’s first genuine presidential primary. Voters selected a single candidate—Henrique Capriles Radonski—to face Venezuela’s authoritarian populist leader Hugo Chavez in a presidential…
On January 8, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lands in Venezuela to start a brief but highly symbolic Latin American visit. The Iranian leader aims to bolster ties with Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and some of the region’s most strident anti-American leaders. For the Obama Administration, the Iranian visit reflects a continuing…
On June 10, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez arrived in Havana for high-level meetings. Two days later, the press reported he underwent surgery to repair a pelvic abscess. Speculation regarding his health increased with each passing day. Possible diagnoses included acute peritonitis, prostate cancer, or liposuction gone wrong. …
President Obama undertakes his March 19–23 trip to Latin America at a time when the international scene is in enormous flux. In three stops—Brazil, Chile, and El Salvador—the President will send an upbeat message of equal partnership and offer broader U.S. engagement in Latin America. President…
On September 26, Venezuelan voters selected 165 members for its single-chamber National Assembly. Approximately 66.45 percent of an estimated 17 million eligible voters cast ballots. As with every election since 1998 in Venezuela, these elections became a referendum about the rule of authoritarian populist President Hugo Chávez. Despite alarmist predictions…
The August 10 summit between newly inaugurated Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez is a potentially positive step in the Americas. The summit lowered tensions that were recently heightened when officials of the outgoing Uribe government presented evidence showing that an estimated 1,5000 fighters of the Revolutionary…
When someone sticks his face in yours and shouts you're his biggest enemy, it's a good idea to take them at their word. Enter, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Recently, while hosting Syria's Bashar al-Assad, Chavez publicly committed to…
Abstract: In the past, “Bolivarian” referred to those Andean countries that had been liberated by Simón Bolívar. Today, for the three countries in the Andes that are following Hugo Chávez’s “Bolivarian Alternative” path— Bolivia, Ecuador, and Venezuela—it has come to signify declining economic freedom.…
Ray Walser discussing a document claiming Venezuela and Bolivia are aiding Iran's nuclear program. …
Ray Walser discussing President Obama's picture with Hugo Chavez. …
Felipe Calderón, who began his single sexenio (six-year term) as President of Mexico in December 2006, has made significant progress in the fight against narcotrafficking, but Mexicans are still waiting to see whether his government will successfully challenge the private- and public-sector monopolies and duopolies that dominate huge portions…
(Archived document, may contain errors) 2/11/91 155 IS HAITI TURNING INTO ANOTHER CUBA? (Updating Backgrounder 746, "Haiti's Continuing Challenge to U.S. Policy Makers," January 18, 1990.) Haiti last week joined the ranks of the Western…
Since 1999,Venezuelahas continued sliding deeper into authoritarianism, populism, militarism, and anti-Americanism....…
Puerto Rico has long flirted with the idea of becoming the 51st state. This year voters will once again have their...…
As Syrian tanks and artillery continued to rain indiscriminate fire on the defenseless city of Homs and as the world...…
Within 48 hours of the impressive victory in Venezuela’s first-ever presidential primary, the winner Henrique Capriles...…
As he readied for the visit of a close ally, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez undertook a...…
In an infamous and vulgar U.N. speech delivered in September 2006, Venezuela’s populist authoritarian President Hugo...…
There has been a lot of discussion recently of Iranian involvement in Latin America, especially with the recent plot...…
In this week's Heritage in Focus, expert Ray Walser discusses the increasingly anti-U.S. policies in Latin...…
Since the U.S. first enacted sanctions against Cuba in 1962, the island nation has been dependent on allies for...…
Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez will host what is billed as the founding conference of the Community of Latin American and...…
Senior Policy Analyst