Venezuelan Politics and Society in Times of Chavismo PolÃtica y ...

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Venezuelan Politics and Society in Times of Chavismo Política y Sociedad en la Venezuela del Chavismo 1 Introduction Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Frías is probably the most controversial among Latin American political leaders of recent decades. The former coup leader (or military rebel, depending on the analyst’s interpretation), who was democratically elected President of the Republic in 1998, is likewise a figure in the forefront of the current wave of leftist transformations on the continent. This first issue of the Stockholm Review of Latin American Studies is dedicated to the topic of Venezuelan politics and society in times of Chavismo. A rather broad range of researchers from three continents have contributed distinct points of departure and scopes of focus, with three articles in English and five in Spanish. In the first, Daniel Hellinger employs the concept of tercermundismo to approach Venezuelan politics and society in the context of rising and developing Chavismo. Aspects of social and political inclusion and exclusion, as well as other relevant factors behind the popularity (and the rejection) of Chávez, are analytically reviewed. Next, Angel Alvarez presents a series of analytical arguments regarding social cleavages and political polarization in the context of the breakdown of the ancien régime and its consequences for democracy. Rickard Lalander emphasizes the destiny of Venezuelan decentralization since Hugo Chávez came to power. José Vicente Carrasquero addresses certain aspects of participatory democracy and social and political inclusion and exclusion respectively, and offers a balance of accounts of the first seven years of the Chávez government. José Antonio Rivas Leone contributes an historical analysis of the crises and process of de-institutionalization of the Venezuelan party system, considering factors both internal, like the exhaustion of the traditional parties, and external, like the decentralization process since 1989. In their qualitative study, Friedrich Welsch and Gabriel Reyes approach the possible social, class and ethnic differences between the supporters and the opponents of the Chávez movement, also taking into consideration citizens selfclassified as independent. The study by Carlos Blanco constitutes a critical analysis of whether the regime is to be considered revolutionary, as it is officially declared, or, as the author argues, rather a type of neo-authoritarianism; Blanco reviews the behaviour both of the government and of the political opposition, as well as Venezuela’s relationship with the United States during the Chávez government. Finally, in the contribution presented by Oscar Reyes, the main focus is the concept of 21st Century Socialism, which in recent years has been used by analysts and by Chávez himself as an umbrella term for the present Venezuelan government. Stockholm, June 2006 Rickard O. Lalander Stockholm REVIEW OF Latin American Studies Issue No 1. November 2006
STOCKHOLM REVIEW OF LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES Issue No 1. November 2006 2 Tercermundismo and Chavismo Daniel Hellinger Daniel Hellinger is Professor of Political Science at Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri. He has written extensively on Latin American and U.S. politics and is author of Venezuela: Tarnished Democracy and co-editor of Venezuelan Politics in the Chávez Era: Class, Polarization and Conflict. hellindc@webster.edu Popular approval ratings for President Hugo Chávez do not fully reveal the sources of support for and opposition to the controversial Venezuelan leader. In part, Chávez’s appeal taps into cultural and racial divisions that were obscured by the modernizing project of the old regime. The cultural, racial and class fissures in Venezuela find expression in a discourse that appeals to fears of exclusion and a desire for social inclusion. I label this discourse tercermundismo because it has much in common with preoccupations throughout the global South, much to the dismay of opponents who believe the country’s future lies with linking itself culturally and economically with the developed world. Oil policy is, as always in Venezuela, at the centre of the debate. Key words: Chavismo, tercermundismo, inclusion, exclusion, Venezuela Daniel Hellinger es Catedrático de Ciencia Política de Webster University, St. Louis, Missouri. Ha escrito extensamente sobre política latinoamericana y estadounidense y es autor de Venezuela: Tarnished Democracy y coeditor de Venezuelan Politics in the Chávez Era: Class, Polarization and Conflict. hellindc@webster.edu La aprobación popular del presidente Hugo Chávez no revela completamente la fuente de apoyo y oposición al controversial líder venezolano. La atracción de Chávez en parte penetra divisiones culturales y raciales, opacadas por el proyecto modernizador del viejo régimen. Las fisuras culturales, raciales y de clases en Venezuela, se expresan en un discurso que incita al miedo de exclusión y a un deseo de inclusión social. La etiqueta que asigno a este discurso es tercermundismo porque tiene mucho en común con las preocupaciones del Sur global, en gran medida por el desaliento de los opositores que creen que el futuro del país está en la conexión cultural y económica con el mundo desarrollado. Las políticas petroleras están, como siempre en Venezuela, en el centro del debate. Palabras claves: Chavismo, tercermundismo, inclusión, exclusión, Venezuela Stockholm REVIEW OF Latin American Studies Issue No 1. November 2006
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