We live in a tumultuous world. In times when technology allows us to learn in real-time what happens on the other side of the globe, humanity seems more disconnected than ever. The excess of information, easily accessible for free, does not equate to better state policies or more responsible citizenship when exercising democracy. Such is the case with Venezuela and its president Hugo Chavez.
Chavez rose to prominence through a coup d’état in 1992. Nevertheless, he proudly travels the world calling others “coup plotters” at will. Chavez first won the Venezuelan presidential elections in 1998, securing fewer votes than Carlos Andrés Perez did in 1988. Yet he boldly claims to have a mandate granted by “the people” to do as he pleases with Venezuela and its citizens. He easily throws around the term “unpatriotic” in his speeches, accusing political opponents of being sold to U.S. interests. However, it is hard to find a contemporary figure in our history who shows more disdain for Venezuela’s sovereignty than Chavez, except perhaps for the dictatorship of Juan Vicente Gomez. Moreover, no Venezuelan president has ever handed over control of internal affairs to foreigners as Chavez has done with the wretched communists sent by dictator Fidel Castro. Chavez claims to be a conciliator, pacifist, humanist, democrat… Yet he has entangled Venezuela in conflicts with practically everyone. This is Chavez, the epitome of the cunning fool, the ignorant Latin American who thinks he knows it all, who believes he can cover the sun with a finger and deceive everyone, everywhere, all the time.
Having annihilated the possibility of being defeated in democratic games, through voting machines he owns that no one audits and election authorities that blindly obey his orders, Chavez has erected a political-military fortress defended with religious fervor by those who benefit from the new order. Among his defenders are observed narco-terrorist groups, guerrilla armies, criminals, corrupt politicians old and new, and fanatical Islamist extremists. Given this reality, the small political groups and discredited leaders that remain in Venezuela face the ominous reality of having to confront an opponent that controls everything. Literally. There is no public institution within the Venezuelan state that currently possesses even a semblance of independence. Not a single one.
In light of grave revelations made yesterday by Colombia at the OAS, demonstrating the presence of thousands of narco-terrorists and leaders of FARC and ELN on Venezuelan territory, and the invitation to form an international commission to investigate these claims, Chavez’s reaction was swift: without any shame, he severed relations with Colombia. No investigations, no awkward visits. In democratic countries, a president, no matter how much electoral support and power he has, cannot break relations with another country without the authorization of Congress or the Assembly (I appreciate any clarifications if this is not the case). However, Chavez has suspended or severed relations with Colombia five times since taking power in 1998. Each time, the reason has involved FARC, whom Chavez defends and protects:
- For the capture of FARC leader Rodrigo Granda in Caracas;
- For President Uribe’s decision to prohibit Chavez from continuing as a mediator in negotiations for the release of hostages held by FARC;
- For the assassination of FARC leader Raul Reyes on Ecuadorian territory;
- For the discovery of Swedish AT4 anti-tank rockets, sold to the Venezuelan army, in FARC’s possession;
- For Colombia’s denunciation of the presence of 1,500 narco-terrorists in 87 clandestine camps in Venezuela.
But it doesn’t end there. Chavez recently appointed Henry Rangel Silva, designated by the U.S. government as a collaborator of FARC, as the strategic chief of the Venezuelan armed forces. This indicates that Chavez’s actions suggest that far from wanting to investigate the accusations made by Colombia, the FARC narco-terrorists can rest assured, knowing that a close collaborator heads the Venezuelan armed forces. Ramon Rodriguez Chacín, another high-ranking official in Hugo Chavez’s government designated as a collaborator of FARC and recognized as a key link between Chavez and FARC, is fully free in Venezuela.
Thus, the question arises: what to do with Chavez? What to do with a so-called democratic president who violates all principles of democracy, whether internal laws or international treaties? The unfortunate answer is absolutely nothing. Nothing can be done against Chavez without the chorus of nations rushing to his aid if Colombia dares to entertain the ridiculous idea of launching attacks on FARC camps in Venezuela, as they did in Ecuador. Nothing can be done against the protection Chavez provides to FARC on Venezuelan soil if it cannot be determined whether the accusations and evidence presented by Colombia are true. No economic sanctions can be applied in the absence of irrefutable proof. No commission from anywhere can visit Venezuela if Chavez doesn’t permit it. In essence, the solution to the Chavez problem is neither national nor international. The solution rests solely in the hands of the Venezuelan people.