Our New Best Friends: Getting to Know Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez

Ray Walser / April 24, 2009

Now that President Obama and Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez have decided they want to be better friends and move toward a closer relationship, it is important for people in the U.S. to get to know Venezuela’s mercurial, but democratically-elected President better. One of the challenge ahead will be reconciling the gaping double standards in Mr. Chavez’s manner of conduct and his selective attention to the instruments of international justice.

On April 22, the government of Venezuela issued an international arrest warrant to Interpol for Manuel Rosales, the elected mayor of the important city of Maracaibo. Rosales is known as a vigorous opponent of Chavez and stood against him the 2006 presidential elections. Rosales, the Venezuelan government claims, misappropriated $60,000. Rosales fears he will not receive a fair trial in Venezuela and for this reason he fled to Peru. (more…)