Women and jobless armed by Chavez to resist 'US invasion'
By Andrew Buncombe in Washington
Published: 09 April 2006
The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, is recruiting and training a
people's militia to help lead a "war of resistance" against what he claims
is the threat of a US invasion. Housewives, students, construction workers
and the unemployed are being recruited for the country's Territorial Guard.
The first training sessions with firearms have already taken place.
"I can assure you right away that also in this battle we will defeat the US
empire," Mr Chavez said in a speech last week. A former army officer who
turned to politics after his attempt at a coup in 1992 failed, he has raised
the spectre of a US invasion so often that Washington's ambassador, William
Brownfield, put it on record last year that "the United States has never
invaded ... and will never invade Venezuela".
Though Venezuela is a major supplier of oil to the US, relations between the
Bush administration and Mr Chavez, a strident critic of Washington-backed
free-market policies, remain fraught. As a result, he has become a hero for
many left-wing Latin Americans opposed to the US.
They point out that Washington has a long history of supporting rebels
seeking to overthrow democratically-elected leftist governments in Latin
America. More recently, the Bush administration supported business leaders
who forced out Haiti's elected leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
In 2002, senior White House officials held meetings with opponents of Chavez
who orchestrated a short-lived coup. Washington quickly welcomed the new
government, only for Mr Chavez to overturn the coup within 48 hours. In
2004, it was revealed that the US Congress-funded National Endowment for
Democracy had dispensed $1m to groups seeking a national vote of no
confidence against Mr Chavez.
Analysts believe the real motivation behind the militia is to protect
against a possible uprising by elements of the Venezuelan armed forces -
sections of which supported the 2002 coup. "The only conventional army
likely to threaten Chavez is Venezuela's own," Sam Logan, a long-term Latin
America observer, wrote in a recent analysis for the International Relations
and Security Network.
Larry Birns, director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, said: "This
militia is there to protect the revolution. There is no prospect of the US
invading Venezuela, but there is every prospect of it ceaselessly looking
for factions within the Venezuelan military and hoping to induce ...
elements to rise up."
Mr Chavez, who was first elected in 1998 and won a no-confidence referendum
in 2004 with three-fifths of the vote, is loathed by Venezuela's wealthy
éliteas much as he is loved by the poor. He has spent millions of dollars
from oil revenues on free health care and education in the barrios. His
presidency has seen improvements in health indicators and in literacy.
Against this are signs of increasing authoritarianism. Human Rights Watch
has accused Mr Chavez of undermining judicial independence by packing the
Supreme Court with his supporters, and of stifling the rights of the media
to criticise his administration.
The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, is recruiting and training a
people's militia to help lead a "war of resistance" against what he claims
is the threat of a US invasion. Housewives, students, construction workers
and the unemployed are being recruited for the country's Territorial Guard.
The first training sessions with firearms have already taken place.
"I can assure you right away that also in this battle we will defeat the US
empire," Mr Chavez said in a speech last week. A former army officer who
turned to politics after his attempt at a coup in 1992 failed, he has raised
the spectre of a US invasion so often that Washington's ambassador, William
Brownfield, put it on record last year that "the United States has never
invaded ... and will never invade Venezuela".
Though Venezuela is a major supplier of oil to the US, relations between the
Bush administration and Mr Chavez, a strident critic of Washington-backed
free-market policies, remain fraught. As a result, he has become a hero for
many left-wing Latin Americans opposed to the US.
They point out that Washington has a long history of supporting rebels
seeking to overthrow democratically-elected leftist governments in Latin
America. More recently, the Bush administration supported business leaders
who forced out Haiti's elected leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
In 2002, senior White House officials held meetings with opponents of Chavez
who orchestrated a short-lived coup. Washington quickly welcomed the new
government, only for Mr Chavez to overturn the coup within 48 hours. In
2004, it was revealed that the US Congress-funded National Endowment for
Democracy had dispensed $1m to groups seeking a national vote of no
confidence against Mr Chavez.
Analysts believe the real motivation behind the militia is to protect
against a possible uprising by elements of the Venezuelan armed forces -
sections of which supported the 2002 coup. "The only conventional army
likely to threaten Chavez is Venezuela's own," Sam Logan, a long-term Latin
America observer, wrote in a recent analysis for the International Relations
and Security Network.
Larry Birns, director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, said: "This
militia is there to protect the revolution. There is no prospect of the US
invading Venezuela, but there is every prospect of it ceaselessly looking
for factions within the Venezuelan military and hoping to induce ...
elements to rise up."
Mr Chavez, who was first elected in 1998 and won a no-confidence referendum
in 2004 with three-fifths of the vote, is loathed by Venezuela's wealthy
éliteas much as he is loved by the poor. He has spent millions of dollars
from oil revenues on free health care and education in the barrios. His
presidency has seen improvements in health indicators and in literacy.
Against this are signs of increasing authoritarianism. Human Rights Watch
has accused Mr Chavez of undermining judicial independence by packing the
Supreme Court with his supporters, and of stifling the rights of the media
to criticise his administration. [Stifling the rights of the media? Mind you
that the opposition controls nearly all of Venezuela's media outlets. SR]
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article356677.ece
This email was cleaned by emailStripper, available for free from
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By Andrew Buncombe in Washington
Published: 09 April 2006
The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, is recruiting and training a
people's militia to help lead a "war of resistance" against what he claims
is the threat of a US invasion. Housewives, students, construction workers
and the unemployed are being recruited for the country's Territorial Guard.
The first training sessions with firearms have already taken place.
"I can assure you right away that also in this battle we will defeat the US
empire," Mr Chavez said in a speech last week. A former army officer who
turned to politics after his attempt at a coup in 1992 failed, he has raised
the spectre of a US invasion so often that Washington's ambassador, William
Brownfield, put it on record last year that "the United States has never
invaded ... and will never invade Venezuela".
Though Venezuela is a major supplier of oil to the US, relations between the
Bush administration and Mr Chavez, a strident critic of Washington-backed
free-market policies, remain fraught. As a result, he has become a hero for
many left-wing Latin Americans opposed to the US.
They point out that Washington has a long history of supporting rebels
seeking to overthrow democratically-elected leftist governments in Latin
America. More recently, the Bush administration supported business leaders
who forced out Haiti's elected leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
In 2002, senior White House officials held meetings with opponents of Chavez
who orchestrated a short-lived coup. Washington quickly welcomed the new
government, only for Mr Chavez to overturn the coup within 48 hours. In
2004, it was revealed that the US Congress-funded National Endowment for
Democracy had dispensed $1m to groups seeking a national vote of no
confidence against Mr Chavez.
Analysts believe the real motivation behind the militia is to protect
against a possible uprising by elements of the Venezuelan armed forces -
sections of which supported the 2002 coup. "The only conventional army
likely to threaten Chavez is Venezuela's own," Sam Logan, a long-term Latin
America observer, wrote in a recent analysis for the International Relations
and Security Network.
Larry Birns, director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, said: "This
militia is there to protect the revolution. There is no prospect of the US
invading Venezuela, but there is every prospect of it ceaselessly looking
for factions within the Venezuelan military and hoping to induce ...
elements to rise up."
Mr Chavez, who was first elected in 1998 and won a no-confidence referendum
in 2004 with three-fifths of the vote, is loathed by Venezuela's wealthy
éliteas much as he is loved by the poor. He has spent millions of dollars
from oil revenues on free health care and education in the barrios. His
presidency has seen improvements in health indicators and in literacy.
Against this are signs of increasing authoritarianism. Human Rights Watch
has accused Mr Chavez of undermining judicial independence by packing the
Supreme Court with his supporters, and of stifling the rights of the media
to criticise his administration.
The President of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, is recruiting and training a
people's militia to help lead a "war of resistance" against what he claims
is the threat of a US invasion. Housewives, students, construction workers
and the unemployed are being recruited for the country's Territorial Guard.
The first training sessions with firearms have already taken place.
"I can assure you right away that also in this battle we will defeat the US
empire," Mr Chavez said in a speech last week. A former army officer who
turned to politics after his attempt at a coup in 1992 failed, he has raised
the spectre of a US invasion so often that Washington's ambassador, William
Brownfield, put it on record last year that "the United States has never
invaded ... and will never invade Venezuela".
Though Venezuela is a major supplier of oil to the US, relations between the
Bush administration and Mr Chavez, a strident critic of Washington-backed
free-market policies, remain fraught. As a result, he has become a hero for
many left-wing Latin Americans opposed to the US.
They point out that Washington has a long history of supporting rebels
seeking to overthrow democratically-elected leftist governments in Latin
America. More recently, the Bush administration supported business leaders
who forced out Haiti's elected leader, Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
In 2002, senior White House officials held meetings with opponents of Chavez
who orchestrated a short-lived coup. Washington quickly welcomed the new
government, only for Mr Chavez to overturn the coup within 48 hours. In
2004, it was revealed that the US Congress-funded National Endowment for
Democracy had dispensed $1m to groups seeking a national vote of no
confidence against Mr Chavez.
Analysts believe the real motivation behind the militia is to protect
against a possible uprising by elements of the Venezuelan armed forces -
sections of which supported the 2002 coup. "The only conventional army
likely to threaten Chavez is Venezuela's own," Sam Logan, a long-term Latin
America observer, wrote in a recent analysis for the International Relations
and Security Network.
Larry Birns, director of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, said: "This
militia is there to protect the revolution. There is no prospect of the US
invading Venezuela, but there is every prospect of it ceaselessly looking
for factions within the Venezuelan military and hoping to induce ...
elements to rise up."
Mr Chavez, who was first elected in 1998 and won a no-confidence referendum
in 2004 with three-fifths of the vote, is loathed by Venezuela's wealthy
éliteas much as he is loved by the poor. He has spent millions of dollars
from oil revenues on free health care and education in the barrios. His
presidency has seen improvements in health indicators and in literacy.
Against this are signs of increasing authoritarianism. Human Rights Watch
has accused Mr Chavez of undermining judicial independence by packing the
Supreme Court with his supporters, and of stifling the rights of the media
to criticise his administration. [Stifling the rights of the media? Mind you
that the opposition controls nearly all of Venezuela's media outlets. SR]
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article356677.ece
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