|
|
Article: Venezuela's oil-rich troublemaker; Latin America and the United States.
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- May 14, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
How big a threat is Hugo Chavez?
AT THE end of last month, Venezuela's president, Hugo Chavez, made yet another trip to Cuba to see his friend and ally, Fidel Castro. He signed a slew of trade and co-operation agreements, deepening what is already a close relationship. In Mr Chavez, Cuba's communist government has at last found a partial replacement for the foreign benefactor it lost when the Soviet Union collapsed. Venezuela is supplying Cuba with all the oil it needs at a subsidised price, in return for the services of thousands of Cuban doctors. Nowadays, Mr Chavez calls himself a "socialist". Before an adoring audience of 800 radicals from Latin America, ...