Hugo Chavez isn’t Che Guevara

Hugo Chávez’s stature is growing in Latin America and in the world because he is seen as courageous leader who is daring to say No to the United States and to dream of Latin America that isn’t dominated by American power.

1. John Pilger sings the praises of Hugo Chávez in an article in the Guardian. He writes, “Chávez is, of course, a threat, especially to the United States. Like the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, who based their revolution on the English co-operative moment, and the moderate Allende in Chile, he offers the threat of an alternative way of developing a decent society: in other words, the threat of a good example in a continent where the majority of humanity has long suffered a Washington-designed peonage.”
2. I think he is wrong. It might true that Hugo Chávez is offering Venezuela and Latin America a choice, which it has never really had which is the choice to develop in another way, but that does not mean that the criticisms against Chávez are unwarranted and that he is a great man.
3. In a world where too often countries in Latin America and in Africa are forced to adopt harsh policies to receive foreign aids, it is important for them to have choices other than neo-liberalization especially when it is clear that civil society and governance are not strong in those countries.
4. However, I think that those who support Hugo Chávez believe that the end justifies the means and that as long as Chávez defies America and offers countries a way to develop other than by using the Washington consensus, he is great. Means are important and are everything for a leader such as Chávez who speaks so passionately about social justice and who denounces the United States for being unjust and duplicitous.
5. Hugo Chávez would be a notable and worthy adversary to the United States if in fact, he practiced what he preached and in fact, there wasn’t something heinous and reckless in his criticisms of America. It is one thing to criticize America, but it is another thing to demonize it and to blame it for all the ills of the world.
6. The problem with Chávez is not what he believes, but rather who he is, just another dictator who adopted social justice as a cause as a way to remain a power. Hugo Chávez isn’t Che Guevera. Che Guevera believed in his cause enough in his cause not only to leave everything behind including a life of relative wealth to fight for it and to die for it. Even if I do not agree with Che Guevara’s ideology (Marxism), I understand those who admire his idealism and his courage. Hugo Chávez has none of those qualities. His sole goal is power.
7. We had have seen this movie too many times to buy the Chavez’s act and to believe that there can be such a thing as benevolent dictatorship.

Comments

[schmoo]

Interesting post. I was going up the Euston Road on my bike when I bumped into President Chaves escaping from the meeting organised by Ken Livingstone.

He was very friendly, and being utterly shameless, I whipped out my mobile phone and took some 'full frontal' photographs which are not too bad considering they were taken with a mobile. As a picture is worth a thousand insults (or the reverse) the close ups I got may be useful to those trying to work out if he is working for Satan or not.

My 'gut' feeling meeting him was that he is ok, but as is often the case with such people, he may have terrible taste in friends.

But you can't always choose your supporters. Some of the 'SWP' types having multiple orgasms on the street for example, were an embarrasment to London - hopefully he realises we are not all like that.

For what they are worth the 'full frontal chavez' pictures are posted at: http://www.schmoontherun.blogspot.com

[Jose Valbuena]

Hello

Your article seem balanced and neutral --something very difficult in this theme. However, I disagree with you when you call him "just another dictator". Since he won in 98, the country has had 8 election whith full observancy of democratic principles. In each one of them more than 50% choose the Chavez side.

You can also check out the tv stations in the country --via internet--. If you speak spanish you'll realize how each one of them attack Chavez and his goverment every single day in unthikable, insulting terms.

[Isaac C.]

Your post shows that you really don't understand why many of us - and yes, I'm in that camp - support Hugo Chavez. It is NOT, as you solely emphasize, that he stands up to the U.S., instead it is because he - unlike most world leaders be they capitalist, communist, or whathaveyou - is actually doing a LOT to help the vast majority of his own people, as well as poor people elsewhere, including in the United States.

For an example of the projects he is running to help his own people, see our Bolivarian Missions page at: http://www.americans-for-chavez.com/missions.html Even here in the United States, the very poor in eight U.S. states benefitted from his DIRECT aid last winter (see: http://www.americans-for-chavez.com/Citgo.html) while American oil companies gorged themselves on massive profits and the gov't continued stripping away social benefits for Americans.

If politicians want to win fans, they need to provide tangible BENEFITS to their people as opposed to empty rhetoric. The one thing George Bush, Kim Jong Il, and Hosni Mubarak all have in common is that they SAY they love their people while constantly working against their best interests. Chavez does not, instead he puts "his money where his mouth is" and THAT is the main reason most of us strongly support him, foreign policy notwithstanding.

[Amaro Magenta]

Your are deceived as hell. Venezuela is today one of the most democratic places in the world.
I believe in freedom, but when most people live on want, freedom is out of reach, and thus it is not a right at all, but a privilege of the few.
This is why I support Chavez, who is trying to promote freedom with social justice where there has been opression and want for most people.
There are certainly setbacks and problems, but it is completely absurd to think Venezuela is living under a disguised dictatorship. This is the view of the few who have lost control of the political institutions, and most of all, of the national resources. They have indeed lost part of their privileges, but they are deceiving you lot, making you think they are loosing their freedoms.

[Kiki]

I haven't been deceived, I just don't agree with your point of view. It is hard for me to agree with a man who discovered social justice when his own people wanted to get rid of him. Chavez is everything but a true believer for the only thing he believes in is his hold on Venezuela!

[Keenan]

If Hugo Chavez is so horrible then why did the people stand up and fight for him when the media coupe tried to take over?
This is the understanding that People who read more than just the imperialist media understand. The Poor people of Venuzuala stood up for Chavez and continue to do so becuase they are being helped like no other person in electoral power has.
UHURU!