Looks as though Chavez may be a little smarter than we think? Yes?

Question

Caracas,Venezuela, Feb 23,2007
(Chavez taking advantage of influence wth Nicaragua, Ecuador and Argentina. working on getting ALL of Latin America on his side.)
Using Venezuela's oil revenues (valued at more than 50 billion a year) to counter US influence and multi-lateral lending organizations like the International Monetary Fund.
Chavez has already agreed to forgive 30 milion in Nicaraguan debt, provide more than two dozen generating plants to alleviate an electicity shortage and will open an office of Venezuela’s development bank in Managua top offer low interest loans to small businesses. Venezuela is also considering building an oil refinery in Nicaragua and a pipeline across that country from the Carribean to the Pacific to transport Venezuelan crude oil to refineries in China and Japan, part of an effort to move away from exporting oil to the United States. (see more before answering)..

Chavez has also offered $500 million in financial assistance to Ecuador, where Rafael Correa is considering efforts to restructure part of its foreign debt. Last Friday, Rafael Ramirez, Venezuela’s Energy Minister was in Ecuador for the arrival of a Venezuelan tanker carrying 220,000 barrels of diesel fuel, part of a fuel swapping deal aimed at saving Ecuador millions of dollars in foreign exchange
This week Mr. Chavez’s government said it would provide $132 million in financing for an Argentine dairy cooperative; Venezuela and Argentina are also creating a regional development bank and will carry out a joint $1.5 billion bond issue. The bonds are intended to offer Argentina an alternative to the monetary fund and to give investors in Venezuela a way of acquiring dollar-denominated securities at a time when hard currency is increasingly sought after in Venezuela..

Is the Bush administration paying enough attention to the actions of Venezuela? Or are they so enmeshed in the Middle East that they fail to see opportunities right around the corner?

I'm not against Chavez or what he is trying to do. If he is a communist, so be it. (Isn't communism a little tired and rhetorical anyway?) and the U.S. doesn[t need to "deal" with Chavez. The only interest the U.S.has in Chavez anyway is as relates to oil. Sad but true.

Answer 1

I hope I live long enough for Hugo to succeed.
What he's trying to do is inspirational. And with China as an ally in the east, they might just change the world. Anything better than this cruel, capitalistic system we've got now where everybody's trying to screw everybody else.
It disgusts me.

Answer 2

Good - let Chavez and Venezuela absorb some of the third world debt for a change. US led investments banks and the American taxpayers are sick of it. No one appreciates us in the end anyway. We will deal with Venezuela and Chavez when the time comes.

Answer 3

when the nuts and bolts of chavez' tyrannical and dictatorial style of gov't finally wash down to the everyday situations that affect people in their daily security of eating, healthcare, and having liberties (and i give you, it might take a few years..as chavez can prop up his style with oil money), it will eventually all come crashing down, as did the soviet union...dont forget, the more he advances latin americas progress, the more an educated people will question the system they have to live under...its inevitable that people will always want a better life for them and their descendants..and if that means questioning and resisting the powers that be...then those powers will find it has to resort to taking away liberties and social programs in order to further their power....in other words, once chavez does one good thing for his people, he will be expected to keep on doing good things...when he cant anymore...thern there will be dissent....

Answer 4

Chavez is 1 of the good guys.

Answer 5

Smart....aaaaaaaaaaaa I dunno....looking at all the world leaders from Iran, Iraq, Syria, India, USA, UK, Russia, North Korea, and others, they all look like graduates of a mentally institutional school. Its that look in their face and their attitudes. We all are in serious deep sh-it here, everyone of them is unstable, period.

Answer 6

Chavez has got guts.
He's the only world leader to stand up to Bush.
For that, he has my utmost respect.