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… Read more
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. … Read more
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… Read more
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… Read more
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… Read more
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… Read more
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.… Read more
Ray Walser discussing a document claiming Venezuela and Bolivia are aiding Iran's nuclear program. … Read more
Ray Walser discussing President Obama's picture with Hugo Chavez. … Read more
Jim Roberts discussing Hugo Chavez and Russia. … Read more
(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… Read more
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… Read more
With at least two ongoing wars, President-elect Barack Obama may well be entering the Oval Office facing the toughest national security landscape for any American president in some time. A tour of the foreign policy horizon shows that America's 44th president will have his hands full with a panoply of problems that would vex… Read more
As he readied for the visit of a close ally, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez undertook a...… Read more
In an infamous and vulgar U.N. speech delivered in September 2006, Venezuela’s populist authoritarian President Hugo...… Read more
There has been a lot of discussion recently of Iranian involvement in Latin America, especially with the recent plot...… Read more
In this week's Heritage in Focus, expert Ray Walser discusses the increasingly anti-U.S. policies in Latin...… Read more
Since the U.S. first enacted sanctions against Cuba in 1962, the island nation has been dependent on allies for...… Read more
Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez will host what is billed as the founding conference of the Community of Latin American and...… Read more
On October 7, 2012, the Venezuelan people will have the opportunity to elect a new president. In the months leading up...… Read more
Making him the latest in a long list of Venezuelan politicians denied the ability to challenge Hugo Chavez, Leopoldo...… Read more
In last week's Heritage Libertad Radio Show, our team covered a range of topics. Listen in Spanish or English. The...… Read more
Five years ago, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez woke up the somnolent delegates to the United Nations General Assembly with his...… Read more
Senior Policy Analyst