Chávez rebuts adoption of Cuban model in Venezuela

[bemildred]

President Hugo Chávez said "there is not possibility to accommodate Venezuela to the Cuban system."

---

Chávez insisted he is attending the summit "with many expectations," and believes his ideas are in agreement with the head of the Spanish government José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's views. The Venezuelan ruler also reiterated the model of the United Nations is "exhausted, does not work anymore," Efe reported.

---

Asked about the likely creation of the United States of South America, Chávez said: "No matter the way we may call it, we are bounded for that direction." "It is indispensable and necessary to strengthen this part of the continent (...) In this idea, we agree with (Brazilian President Luiz Inácio) Lula (da Silva), (Argentinean President Néstor) Kirchner, and Uruguayan President (Tabaré Vázquez.)"

Regarding fears that a likely electoral reform may lead Venezuela towards the Cuban model, Chávez replied that he has been in office for six years, and "if we had an intention to copy" this model, "we would have made steps in that direction already."

El Universal

[On the Road]

1. What Idiot Said Venezuela Was Adopting the Cuban Model?

The two economies are nothing like each other. Venezuela has large corporations and a thriving small business sector. Cuba is pretty much a statist economy.

[bemildred]

3. It's a fairly common assertion.

True, it is a stupid one.

[Shakespeare]

5. The Chavez-haters here on DU love to conflate the two.

Nevermind, of course, that Chavez has been democratically elected TWICE.

Chavez has the balls to ally with Castro when it suits him (and his country), and can admit that Cuba does get some things right. That makes him a bigger man than Bush will ever be.

[On the Road]

10. Yes, and the US is an Ally of Pakistan

does that make us a military dictatorship?

:silly:

(Wait, don't answer that.)

[mountebank]

7. Check last week's Parade magazine for "Maxist Chavez"

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=5051272&mesg_id=5051272

[damntexdem]

8. Well, the problem with that question is ...

that we have so many idiots to choose from.

[tonkatoy57]

2. Oops

Need to get my glasses changed.

I thought it said Chavez was going to adopt a Cuban model. I was surprised there was no picture to accompany the article.

[marbuc]

4. Cuban women are mui caliente

sexism off.

[LatinoSocialist]

6. no sexism there brother

Cuban women ARE HOT.

It's not sexist to admire and enjoy the physical beauties of women. And even if you only like women for their physical beauty, that doesn't make you sexist (unless you got the power to act upon that prejudice and make life hell for them). It just makes you shallow.

I, for one, enjoy being around beautiful women, so I don't see the problem.

[Bridget Burke]

9. It's not sexism as long as I can add that....

There are some pretty fine Cuban Men...

[marbuc]

12. permission granted. eom

[1932]

11. I recommend two books to illuminate this point:

Richard Gott's A New History of Cuba, and Aleida Guevara's book on Chavez (it's a two-part interview with Chavez, plus an afterward).

The major difference between the two countries is that Cuba is a centrally planned economy with a high degree of centralization of political power. Chavez, however, is extremely committed to a decentralized society on every level and expressly with economic and political power.

With the exception of PDVSA, in every realm of society, Chavez has devolved as much power as possible to the people; whether it's community control over development projects, media, health care, building roads out to the countryside, creating worker-managed industries, or whatever, Chavez seems to believe the success of the revolution depends on giving power to the people and trusting that they won't every give it back to the oligopoly.

Cuba has a different history and culture. After watching so many revolutions fail and never seeing power wrested from the wealthy, Cuba has moved forward as nation with a strong centralized government committed to offsetting and preventing the concentration of power in the hands of the wealthy. It's a kind of benevolent paternalism, and it's very different from what is happening in Venezuela.

[bemildred]

13. I think the hostile environment has somewhat to do with the direction the

Cuban revolution has taken.

I do like what Chavez is doing better than the centralized
Cuban model, and it seems to drive the Venezuelan "elites"
absolutely bonkers too.