President Truman’s ambivalence toward the military coup of November 15, 1948

United States and General Marcos Pérez Jiménez◦ Reaction to the fraudulent presidential election of 1952◦ Concern to guarantee stable oil supply underpins “hands-off” policy◦ Anti-communism syndrome◦ Some United States groups befriend democratic exiles

V.P. Richard M. Nixon – “Stoned” in Caracas United States comes to view democracy in

Venezuela as best guarantee of anti-communist political stability

Venezuela’s most important leftist political leaders accommodate to United States hegemony

Training of Venezuela military in counterinsurgency tactics

Alliance for Progress Assistance Acceptance of nationalization of the petroleum

industry Toleration of Venezuela’s role in OPEC

Andean Community (Pact created in 1969)◦ Caldera and entry into the Andean Pact◦ Ractivation during second government

Carlos Andres Pérez◦ SELA◦ G77◦ IMF as “neutron bomb”

Opposition to U.S. policy in international organizations by votes without teeth◦ Vote in OAS that opposed U.S. invasion of Panama and removal of

Noriega

Neo-Liberal turn following the Caracazo (February 1989)

Washington and the military government option following the two failed coups during 1992

Washington mistakenly assumes that neo-liberalism has triumphed with Agenda Venezuela

President Clinton denies candidate Chávez entry into the United States

Washington’s guarded reaction to Hugo Chávez´s election as president in December 1998

Ambassador John Maisto “Watch what he does, not what he says.”

Support for domestic reform – as long as democratic niceties were observed

Encouragement of foreign investment Ignoring of anti-U.S./anti-capitalist rhetoric Pivotal benchmarks leading to changes in

bilateral relations◦ Fiasco of flood damage never rebuilt◦ Flaring tempers over U.S. response in Afghanistan to

9-11 terrorist incident

Forces that staged coup closely associated with the United States and international capitalism

U.S. role in coup ambiguous◦Otto Rich sympathetic to coup plotters who ousted

Chávez◦ Instructions from White House to U.S. embassy

suggest confusion Strongest supporters of Bolivarian Revolution

turned out to be the urban poor and militant socialists (communists?)

United States government pushes mediation by third parties

Anti-Chavez forces stage six weeks of strikes Bolivarian government weathers the strike by

discharging petroleum workers Relations with Washington – deteriorated sharply

after U.S. invaded Iraq War

Clash between Lockean and Rousseauan views of democracy

Comprehensive Venezuelan reform within the Lockean milieu (representative democracy dating from 1958) – how feasible?

How much assistance will the United States give to the opposition?

What kind of “democracy” is Chávez creating?

Clash related to U.S. over-flights of Venezuelan territory

Problem of certification of anti-drug efforts◦ Venezuela’s appearance on list of countries whose

anti-narcotics efforts are insufficient◦ Foreign Minister Rangel: Venezuela worries about

drug consumption in the USA Attitude toward Colombian guerrillas

Twenty First Century Socialism is anthesis of U.S.A. free market system

Diminishing U. S. economic influence◦ Oil sales to Asia◦ Drawing upon Brazilian

industrial might (eg: Odebrecht)

Opposition to Globalization/NAFTA

Support for MERCOSUR

Vice President Elias Jaua

U.S. – Venezuela relations reached a low point during the administration of President George W. Bush

Choice of economic models Use of Iran as a counterweight to U.S. influence Orimulsión and U.S. protection of the coal

industry (Florida Light and Power Contract) Intellectual property rights Offering of military bases to Russia?

Cuban leaders replaced in power

shuffle (February 2009) Did Chavez attempt to meddle

in the succession?

Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque

Vice President Carlos Lage

Efforts by anti-Chávez groups to secure United States support tend to backfire

Issues of ongoing tensions between President Chávez and the USA◦Has President Obama become the new “Mr. Danger” ◦Drug issues – Maklid ◦Will China replace USA as the most important export

market for Venezuelan Petroleum? ◦How extensive are Venezuela’s ties Iran & Hezbolah?