How should Obama approach relations with Venezuela?

"Chavez is an extremely active enemy of the US and its democratic values and principles, which for many years he has managed to disguise using the unpopular President Bush as his cover"

Diego Arria

How Should Obama Approach Relations With Venezuela ?

Q: Barack Obama received warm wishes from Latin American leaders after his election as US president on November 4. Venezuela was among the countries sending congratulatory messages, expressing a desire for "new relations between our countries." Should Obama work for rapprochement with Venezuela ? What hazards should Obama avoid in his approach to Venezuela ? What would be the effects of more cordial relations between the two countries?

A: Board Comment: Diego Arria: "When the price of oil was above $130 a barrel, Chavez proclaimed that 'Obama represented the empire that had to be terminated.' Since prices dipped below $60 he has toned down his language, expressing the need for 'a normalization of relations.' What would normalization mean for Chavez? To have free rein to continue to promote subversive activities throughout the region, and to trample the rights of the Venezuelan people suffering the actions of a militarized, authoritarian regime. President Obama should not make the mistake of continuing to believe that it is possible to 'bridge the gap that divide us.'

Chavez is an extremely active enemy of the US and its democratic values and principles, which for many years he has managed to disguise using the unpopular President Bush as his cover. The US authorities know that Chavez has been the most important ally of the narcoterrorist forces of Colombia , which for years kept American citizens as hostages, and that he has turned Venezuela into a sanctuary of all kinds of unsavory and dangerous characters from around the globe. For Chavez to have the US as an enemy is fundamental to his political grandstanding both nationally and internationally. Without it he would be fighting his own shadow and forced to face the reality that after bringing in $800 billion during his mandate he has managed to bring Venezuela close to a collapse. He needs to blame 'the empire' to hide the incompetence and corruption of his regime."

Diego Arria is a member of the Advisor board, Director of the Columbus Group and former Permanent Representative of Venezuela at the United Nations.

Chavez suffered a major setback

Agree with this statement: "Arria points to the fact that "now wounded and resentful Chávez is more dangerous than before, and will not give up trying to turn the country into a totalitarian state."

EL UNIVERSAL
CARACAS, Friday November 28, 2008

Diego Arria: "Chávez suffered a major setback"
"The election results represent the end of Chávez's attempt to turn the country into a socialist state under the banner of the Bolivarian Revolution"
Politics
Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez in last November 23rd local polls "suffered a major setback when the democratic opposition won the governorships of the five most populous states plus the Caracas Mayor's office, which altogether represent more than half of the electorate and four fifths of the national economy," said Diego Arria, a former Venezuelan Ambassador to the United Nations.
When asked what the election results meant for Chávez, Arria replied that the local polls were prefaced by "an abusive campaign" that turned the election into a plebiscite about Chávez.
According to Arria, a member of the advisory board of publication The Latin American Advisor, Inter-American Dialogue, "The election results (47 percent of the votes were against Chávez's official candidates) represent the end of Chávez's attempt to turn the country into a socialist state under the banner of the Bolivarian Revolution."
Regarding the outcome of the recent polls for the political organizations opposing the Venezuelan ruler, Arria stressed that "the success of the opposition forces is even more admirable when you consider that they not only had to vote for their candidates, but had to defend them from an untrustworthy electoral arbiter totally subordinated to the regime."
Further, Arria highlights the fact that President Chávez's "three closest lieutenants" were defeated in the election. In his view, such outcome "places the opposition on the way to win the 2009 elections for the National Assembly that today is fully controlled by Chávez, provided that they continue to work hard to preserve their unity."
Arria points to the fact that "now wounded and resentful Chávez is more dangerous than before, and will not give up trying to turn the country into a totalitarian state."