Transcript Venezuela & USA - Personal.psu.edu

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President Truman’s ambivalence toward the military coup
of November 15, 1948
United States and General Marcos Pérez Jiménez
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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
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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
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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
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Andean Community (Pact created in 1969)
◦ Caldera and entry into the Andean Pact
◦ Ractivation during second government
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Carlos Andres Pérez
◦ SELA
◦ G77
◦ IMF as “neutron bomb”
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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
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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 neoliberalism has triumphed with Agenda
Venezuela
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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.”
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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
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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?)
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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
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Clash between Lockean and Rousseauan views of
democracy
Comprehensive Venezuelan reform within the
Lockean milieu (representative democracy dating
from 1958) – how feasible?
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How much assistance
will the United States
give to the opposition?
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What kind of
“democracy” is Chávez
creating?
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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
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Attitude toward Colombian guerrillas
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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)
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Opposition to
Globalization/NAFTA
Support for MERCOSUR
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Vice President Elias Jaua
U.S. – Venezuela relations reached a low
point during the administration of
President George W. Bush
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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?
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Foreign Minister
Felipe Perez Roque
Vice President Carlos
Lage
Cuban leaders
replaced in power
shuffle
(February 2009)
Did Chavez attempt to meddle
in the succession?
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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?