Hugo Chávez and the Limits to Petropolitics (ARI)
Exxon Mobil’s conflict with PDVSA has revived Hugo Chávez’s perennial threat to cut off oil exports to the US.
Latin America
Argentina Ushers in Matrimonial Presidency (ARI)
Cristina Kirchner’s win has introduced matrimonial presidency to Argentina. This ARI reviews the elections that brought her to power, the legacy of her husband’s government and the challenges she faces in the future.
‘Not That Way, Commander’: ‘21st Century Socialism’ Checked by Referendum (ARI)
The constitutional reform project was rejected by a narrow margin, suggesting that most Venezuelans do not agree with the intentions of the chavista elite to move the country towards socialism.
New Propaganda: The Public Diplomacy of the Authoritarian Regimes in China and Venezuela
Nowadays, we can talk about ‘new propaganda’ to refer to the positioning and communication strategies of authoritarian regimes like Venezuela and China. This paper analyses these two cases of ‘post-modern propaganda’, that is to say, authoritarian regimes’ use of the instruments of public diplomacy to achieve international prominence.
Public Opinion and the Armed Forces in the Southern Cone (ARI)
The new international challenges and the current Southern Cone governments’ plans for reform have re-ignited the interest of public opinion in issues linked to the armed forces, bringing them to centre-stage in all the main media.
The Merida Initiative: Challenges in the Fight against Crime and Drug Trafficking in Mexico (ARI)
The Presidents of Mexico and the US agreed that Mexico would receive an aid package totalling US$1.4 billion over three years. The package was called the Merida Initiative so as to avoid being compared to the controversial Plan Colombia.
Outside Players in Latin America (II): Iran (ARI)
This paper examines Iran’s motives for intensifying its presence in Latin America in the past two years under the guidance of the Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.
The Armed Forces as a Political Party: Chávez’s New ‘Geometry of Power’ (ARI)
The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, was convinced of the success of his constitutional reform proposal, prepared under the ley habilitante, or enabling law, which gave the Executive full powers to legislate in key areas. The new constitution, which was to establish unlimited presidential re-election, would have come into effect in 2008 if it had been approved by the 2 December referendum. One of the main reforms was to redefine the role of the Venezuelan Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Nacionales, FAN).
The Presidential Elections in Guatemala (ARI)
The presidential elections in Guatemala were won by Álvaro Colom, the representative of Unión Nacional de la Esperanza (National Union of Hope, UNE). His presidency, which will begin in January, will face a complex agenda, including public order and security issues, as well as the need to maintain economic growth.
Venezuela: A Crossroads for its Production Development Model (ARI)
In the midst of the biggest oil boom in the last three decades, Venezuela is advancing towards a new production model which is set to pose major challenges.
Brazil in Mexico’s Foreign Policy: The Quest for a More Dynamic Relationship (ARI)
Mexico is seeking to re-launch its presence in Latin America by enhancing its political and commercial relations with Brazil. The two countries have different regional integration and international insertion projects, but have adopted a more pragmatic approach to their relations in order to prevent their differences from generating instability in the region.
Cuba, the Pending Transition (ARI)
This article analyses the question of succession that is already beginning to emerge in Cuba. The key question is whether the regime that replaces the current one will manage to stabilise a new status quo similar to that of China or Vietnam.