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My post on the "ground rent thesis" was mostly aimed at talking about how differential rent works in mining and mineral extractions, but I mentioned my opinion that Venezuela under the Chavistas had failed "to diversify the Venezuelan economy to be more self-reliant." This ruffled Lou's feather's, but it is a fact that no one can deny. Despite big plans and lots of speeches, Venezuela's economy is less diverse now then it was when Chavez was first elected. This is true not just for industry, but for agriculture and tourism and every sector of the Venezuelan economy. I did not venture an opinion about the intentions of Chavez and his followers, or about their big plans, or about their sincerity, or even about why they failed. IMHO Venezuela faces a crisis that in some ways is very much like the one Cuba faced when Gorbachev pulled the rug out from under them. So far, the Chavistas have not been able to mobilize the Venezuelan people to endure their own "special period" and emerge from it in one piece. And, it does not look like they have any ability to do so at this point. This is not a good thing for Venezuela, or for anyone on this planet, because the failure of the Venezuelan experiment will set the left back not only in Venezuela, but everywhere in Latin America. However, the drama is not over yet, and the unexpected is still very possible. All of Latin America remains extremely volatile. The right and the United States have no solutions for any of the long standing problems of the region. Witness Brazil. In Colombia, next door to Venezuela, the city of Buenaventura, the main Pacific Ocean port of this country, just ended a three week long "paro" that had many of the earmarks of a communal insurrection. It occurred simultaneously with a month long public school teachers' strike. One of the lessons from the experience of the Soviet Union that everyone should have learned, and that strongly applies to Venezuela, is that socialism in one country, even a big country with a lot of natural resources, is not possible in the long run. However, one of the lessons we should all learn from Cuba is, that where there is a will, it can survive for a long time against very stiff odds. Anthony _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
