EO 12958: DECL: 12/01/2017TAGS: EPET, ENRG, EINV, ECON, VESUBJECT: OIL TRADE: PDVSA’S DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS REF: A. 2006 CARACAS 3224B. CARACAS 183 AND PREVIOUS ONES Classified by: Acting Economic Counselor Shawn E. Flatt for Reason…
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2017 TAGS: EPET, ENRG, EINV, ECON, VE SUBJECT: OIL TRADING: SKELETONS IN PDVSA’S CLOSET REF: A. 2006 CARACAS 3224 B. CARACAS 183 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Acting Economic Counselor Shawn E. Flatt…
My Weekly Commentary Almost unnoticed, Chávez’s clinical condition has dramatically altered the electoral landscape for 2012. Both organizations supporting his reelection and the opposition find themselves in shock. This situation was unexpected. There’s an underlying…
UPDATE NOV 16, 2011: Venezuela: Congressman Carlos Ramos questions Williams F1 Finally, some good news coming out of Venezuela. The local news source Noticias24 reports today that the congressional audit committee is demanding a copy…
UPDATE 16 NOV 2011: Venezuela: Congressman Carlos Ramos questions Williams F1 Finally, some positive news from Venezuela. Local news outlet Noticias24 reports that the Congress’ audit commission is requesting a copy of the sponsorship contract…
My Weekly Commentary To the President. These brief lines are meant to express the popular sentiment regarding the thoughts of the people. First and foremost, I hope you recover swiftly from your health issues. Your…
Recently, Hugo Chavez appeared before the National Assembly to deliver one of his typical speeches, lasting over 7 hours during which he hardly said anything meaningful. It was meaningless banter that thrilled his supporters, who…
The decision by President Chávez to allow PDVSA to enter into a long-term sponsorship agreement with Williams is undoubtedly a clever move and will create much-needed favorable public relations worldwide. Most analysts commenting on the…
The graph on the left shows Venezuela’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 1960 to 2009. GDP is defined as the total value of all goods and services produced in a country’s economy over a specified…
The question was phrased like this: “You are backed by the Venezuelan oil company PDVSA and also by the government of Venezuela. How did that come about?” This question was posed by a journalist from…
The days when Hugo Chávez could be given the benefit of the doubt are long gone. In fact, the argument that Chávez “has the support of the vast majority of Venezuelans” is now outdated. In…
My Weekly Comment To Henry Ramos: First, let me clarify that today’s cover is not about any phase of your privacy, but rather about the political closet; in other words, it exposes those supposedly honorable…
In response to a February 2010 report issued by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) regarding human rights violations and intimidation of citizens in Venezuela based on their political beliefs, I published a joint…
To the brief and harsh list of life’s certainties, let’s add that socialism invariably leads nations to economic ruin. The latest case: the “Bolivarian” Republic of Venezuela under Hugo Chávez. At the beginning of this…
Gregory Wilpert has written to clarify for me and my readers that he has not misrepresented himself. His ‘clarification’ follows: Just so you and your readers are aware: Saying that I work for Brooklyn College…