Triumph of democracy in Honduras marked a turning point. The recent election results in Colombia; the remarkable economic, political, and social progress of Peru, the new conservative governments in Panama and Chile; Felipe Calderón’s handling of a complex political situation in Mexico; and the increasingly blatant authoritarian excesses of Venezuela and its satellites—all of this has created an adverse environment for Chávez and his cohorts.

BY Jaime Daremblum at The Weekly Standard

Until relatively recently, populist autocracy seemed to be advancing relentlessly across Latin America, backed by Venezuelan petrodollars and guided by the Castro brothers. It was definitely expanding into Bolivia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua; it was threatening to infect other countries in Central and South America; and it was treated with pragmatic respect, if not sympathy, in the Caribbean.

Today, Venezuelan leader Hugo Chávez is still trying to acquire more satellites for his “Bolivarian revolution,” and he is still working to maintain close relationships with his existing client states. But from a geopolitical perspective, it is clear that last year’s crisis and triumph of democracy in Honduras marked a turning point. Since then, Chavismo has lost its expansive drive, and the strategic tide is now running against it. The recent election results in Colombia; the remarkable economic, political, and social progress of Peru, which had been on the verge of falling under the influence of Venezuelan-style populism; the new conservative governments in Panama and Chile; Felipe Calderón’s handling of a complex political situation in Mexico; and the increasingly blatant authoritarian excesses of Venezuela and its satellites—all of this has created an adverse environment for Chávez and his cohorts.

It is hard to ignore certain similarities between Venezuela’s travails and the outcome of the Cold War. Even though it benefited from immense natural resources, the Soviet Union ended up in ruin. Venezuela is currently going through its own process of economic implosion: It has experienced rampant inflation, a sharp and sustained drop in GDP, a collapse of foreign investment, and painful scarcities of basic products and services, despite the fact that global oil prices remain relatively high (in historical terms).

FULL STORY

Help Make A Difference By Sharing These Articles On Facebook, Twitter And Elsewhere:

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Interested In Further Reading? Click Here