Pg. 7 | Analysis
First Egypt, Next Venezuela? Despite what some media say, Venezuela already had its revolution
FRIday March 4, 2011 No. 54 Bs 1 Caracas
Venezuela’s Popular Uprising
This week Venezuelans commemorated the 22-year anniversary of the mass popular rebellion known as the “Caracazo”, during which thousands poured into the streets protesting the imposition of a neoliberal economic package promoted by the US and the government at that time. Then President Carlos Andres Perez ordered the massacre of thousands of protesters. Venezuelans consider the event the beginning of the Bolivarian Revolution lived today.
US military has a plan to use social networks to create virtual friends and propaganda
Pg. 8 | Opinion
ENGLISH EDITION The artillery of ideas
Culture as a Liberating and Revolutionary Force
President Chavez launched a new program to support artistic expression nationwide The new National System of Popular Culture will recognize and support those working in both traditional and non-traditional forms of artistic expression, ensuring they have the resources and space necessary to engage in their area of expertise. The Venezuelan President also oversaw a graduation ceremony for thousands of artists awarded university-level degress in Education and Cultural Development, acknowledging the importance of arts as an essential part of Revolution
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Chavez proposes peace commission in Libya
Rejecting foreign intervention, the Venezuelan President proposed a commission of friendly nations help Libya to peace.
National & local governments cooperate Opposition governors are working together with the Chavez government to end crime and violence.
Culture
Urban cultural center celebrates anniversary A totally cool and unique urban arts & music center, Tiuna El Fuerte, perseveres.
New Gas Reserves Found in Venezuela
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US Government Continues Attacks Against Venezuela
his week, the Obama administration continued to threaten Venezuela with “sanctions” for its commercial relationship with Iran. Despite Venezuelan government denials regarding the sale and transport of Venezuelan gas to Iran, the State Department is “examining” the relationship between the two nations “very carefully” to determine whether or not US laws have been violated. The US government maintains unilateral economic sanctions against Iran and alleges that other nations who engage in “unauthor-
ized” commercial relations with the Persian nation could be subject to US sanctions as well. Venezuela and Iran have a close commercial relationship, yet to date, none of the trade between the two countries has fallen under that prohibited by US law. “If there is evidence that violates the sanctions [against Iran], we will act accordingly against Venezuela”, affirmed US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this week in a hearing before the US Congress. “Until now, there is no proof”, she added.
Nonetheless, congressman Connie Mack, chair of the House SubCommittee on Foreign Affairs for the Western Hemisphere accused the Chavez government of “secretly shipping gas and other illegal materials” to Iran. He offered no evidence to back such claims. Clinton also criticized the “deplorable” discourse of President Chavez and accused Venezuela of not being a stable democracy. Relations have deteriorated between Washington and Venezuela since Obama took office, despite an initial hope that things would have changed for the better.
giant new discovery in the “La Perla” gasfield in the Gulf of Venezuela has raised the country’s gas reserves to more than 15 trillion cubic feet, corresponding to the equivalent of 2.9 billion barrels of oil. The “La Perla IV” well was drilled 60 feet deep, and during production tests the well-flow produced 17 million cubic feet of gas per day at normal conditions and 500 barrels of condensate per day. According to the website of PDVSA, Venezuela is becoming one of the major gas reserves in the world. Venezuela already houses the world’s largest oil reserves, well above those located in Saudi Arabia or other Middle Eastern nations. The current Venezuelan government has used these important energy reserves to invest in national development and the well-being of the people, demonstrating the commitment of Venezuela to stimulate and strengthen the progress of the country for the welfare of all Venezuelans.
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2 | Impact
No 54 • Friday, March 4, 2011
The artillery of ideas
Venezuelans Commemorate Popular Uprising Against Privatization Thousands of Venezuelans from all over the South American country took to the streets last Sunday to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the seminal uprisings that marked the beginning of the end of neoliberalism and the Washington Consensus in the now socialist nation
After being released from prison in 1994, Chavez built a movement nationwide and later ran for president in 1998, winning by a landside. In 1999 the new President called for a constitutional convention, ushering in his Bolivarian Revolution and marking Venezuela’s definitive break with the imported economic and social policies of the nation’s past political establishment.
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peaking at a rally held in the Caracas neighborhood of Petare, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez referred to the uprising, known as the Caracazo, as the day “when the people woke up”. “[The Caracazo] opened the doors of a new history and here we are, 22 years later”, he said. Understood to be the historical antecedent to Venezuela’s current Bolivarian Revolution, the street rebellions of February 27, 1989 swept across the country in defiance of a structural adjustment package implemented by the International Monetary Fund under the then presidency of Carlos Andres Perez. Spurred on by egregious price hikes in public transportation and scarcity of important consumer commodities, street riots, looting and spontaneous political protests rocked the poor areas of the capital Caracas and other urban centers throughout the national territory. The protests lasted for more than two days as the Perez government implemented a curfew and sent the armed forces into the streets to put down the uprising. Although the official death toll resulting from the massacre that ensued has been put at 3 hundred, experts and witnesses estimate the number of disappearances as a result of the repression to be closer to three thousand. “Thousands of Venezuelans were massacred in 1989 by the socalled ‘democrats’ who today accuse me of being a tyrant and who today say they are the hope of the nation”, Chavez said, pointing out
that neither the United Nations nor the Organization of American States came out against the Perez government after the bloodshed. HONORING MEMORY As part of the commemoration events on Sunday, the Venezuelan Public Attorney’s Office oversaw the burial of more than seventy cadavers determined buy forensic anthropologists to be victims of state security forces during the Caracazo. The cadavers, exhumed from a common grave, were laid to rest in the General de Sur cemetery in Caracas where a monument was erected in their honor and in remembrance of all those murdered during the uprising.
“These acts will never happen again in Venezuela… We will never allow an official or police force to act as they did during the Caracazo”, said Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz. According to Diaz, the security bodies of the current government represent a drastic break with the past because they “respect life and understand what it means to respect human rights and love the Venezuelan people”, she said. With respect to bringing those responsible for the violence of the Caracazo to justice, the Attorney General informed that the investigations are on-going. “We will continue with the investigative work. We already have some information to indict some people”, Diaz said.
BEGINNING OF THE END As the first popular and widespread revolt against the freemarket policies of the Washington Consensus, the importance of the Caracazo in relation to Venezuela and Latin America’s leftward turn cannot be understated. According to Chavez, the rebellion marked the “beginning of the 21st century, not only [for Venezuela] but for the world”. Indeed, the events of February 1989 served not only to shake up the institutional architecture of neoliberalism but it also served as inspiration to Chavez himself who had been planning a revolutionary movement within the military for years. “February 27…was a catalyst that drove us patriotic military officers”, the head of state recalled during the rally on Sunday. Three years after the Caracazo, the then lieutenant colonel alongside a group of other military officers attempted a rebellion against the Venezuelan government of Carlos Andres Perez. Although the uprising ultimately failed and Chavez was imprisoned for subversion, his call for change resonated with the Venezuelan public and led to a significant boost in the charismatic leader’s popularity.
CARACAZO LIKE EGYPT Refuting claims that Venezuela is somehow on the brink of a popular revolt, Chavez affirmed on Sunday that the protests and revolutions currently sweeping across the Arab world are of the same character of what already took place in Caracas in 1989. “Yesterday there were more large protests in Cairo and in many other countries. Right now there are gigantic popular protests against an economic model that still causes more poverty”, he asserted. “A little while ago I was watching an analyst who was saying that what happened in Egypt is about to happen here. How ignorant this man is. He doesn’t realize that what happened in Egypt is what happened here 22 years ago. This already happened in Venezuela”, the President argued. With respect to the country’s conservative opposition, Chavez linked their political origins to the repression of previous governments and is confident that he will emerge victorious in the nation’s presidential elections next year. “[The opposition] will not return [to power], not by elections and not by any other way that they invent or that their masters in the Pentagon and the Southern Command of the US imperialist Army invent”, the head of state assured. “In 2012, the country will decide if it is to continue on the path of liberation or if it is to return to the years of massacres. In December 2012, I’m sure that the people will elect me again as president of Venezuela”, he said. T/ Edward Ellis P/ Presidential Press
No 54 • Friday, March 4, 2011
The artillery of ideas
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Venezuela’s Chavez Proposes International Peace Mission for Libya
his week, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez proposed an International Peace Commission for Libya, with the participation of all countries that desire a peaceful solution to the political conflict there. In order to advocate a solution to the situation in Libya “without using weapons or invading”, Chavez said it was better to seek “a political solution. Instead of sending weapons against the Libyan people, why don’t we send a mission that pleads for a peaceful solution to the conflict?”. President Chavez emphasized that there is a lot of misinformation about the political situation in Libya, as well as elements that reflect a pre-war scenario, fueled by the invasion plans that are woven from the US government. Chavez said a “network of lies” has been set up by various international information companies, the danger of which lies not only in a civil war but in an invasion by the United States, which would be a catastrophe”. “I’m sure the US is exaggerating and distorting things to jus-
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tify an invasion in Libya (...) They said today that they are ready to support the opposition and they aren’t ruling out military operations. They are mad about Libyan oil”, he said.
President Chavez noted that his government was also the subject of these “international tall stories”. He stated that he is not trying to interfere in the internal situation of Libya, and called for
“a peaceful solution and for peace throughout the Arab world”. The Venezuelan head of state reiterated his rejection of the double-standard policy held by the US government on the issue: on
one hand they condemn violence, “and on the other, they rub their hands together over the oil”. “The US has already said it is ready to invade Libya and most of Europe is condemning Libya (...) They are rubbing their hands over the oil (...) I wonder why don’t they condemn Israel, which has caused so many deaths to the Palestinian people? Who condemns the US for one million deaths in Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq?” he asked. In this regard, he said the Venezuelan government has tried to stay “within the bounds of prudence” and reiterated that as a democratic president he urges the international community to “act politically, with all respect and not resort to the drums of war”. President Chavez also emphasized that his goal is “to plead for peace without weapons, explosions, or protest”. This will be a sign of preparation for “real peace” not only in Libya but throughout the Middle East. T/ AVN P/ Presidential Press
Venezuelan Government Rejects Foreign Intervention in Libya
ollowing the announcement of sanctions on Libya’s leader Muammar al-Gaddafi by the United Nations (UN) Security Council, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro warned against any possible military intervention in the country. President Chavez, commemorating Venezuela’s “Caracazo” massacre on Sunday, also condemned violence and called for peace in Libya. Maduro, commenting on the UN deliberations and the announced sanctions, said, “We would be against any military intervention against the Arabic people of Libya and I’m sure that all peoples of the world would support a struggle against any interventionism that some powerful countries could execute”. Given what the Security Council described as “mass deaths” committed by the Libyan government, arms sanctions were ap-
plied over the weekend and Gaddafi’s family’s assets were frozen in the US and Europe. The Council also ordered a crimes against humanity investigation into the situation. Maduro said Venezuela’s hope is that the “Arabic people who are in a process of rebellion, seeking a better destiny, find their way to peace”. “Our people [in Venezuela] have already lived through some very difficult times and, actually, today we are remembering one of the worst [the Caracazo]. But we’ve gone about finding our ways to independence, democracy, and freedom, which in our case has been the construction of socialism”. AGAINST INTERFERENCE On February 27, 1989 Venezuela’s Armed Forces repressed protests in Caracas, killing between 400 and 1,000 people in what
has become known as the “Caracazo”. On Sunday, Venezuelans marched in honor of the victims. “We hope the people of Libya are able to find the way to national re-unification”, Maduro said, suggesting dialogue was the best way towards resolving the conflict in Libya. “There shouldn’t be anything that justifies military interventionism against the Arabic people. Just as we were against the invasion of Iraq and the massacre of the Palestinian people in Gaza, we would be against any military invasion of Libya”, Maduro concluded. President Chavez, speaking on national television on Friday, also repeated his rejection of any possible intervention in Libya. He drew parallels with the media coverage of the coup against himself in 2002 with current treatment of information about Libya, saying that just as the media is
accusing Gaddafi now, in 2002 he too was called a “murderer” of his people. “I can’t say that I support, or that I’m in favor of a decision taken by any friend of mine in any part of the world, because we are far away, but yes we support the government of Libya and the independence of Libya, we want peace for this country and for the peoples of the world”, Chavez said. He also made similar comments to Maduro regarding the invasion of Iraq, “Those who immediately condemn Libya don’t talk about the bombing by the state of Israel on Fallujah, and the thousands and thousands of deaths including children, women, and whole families. They are quiet about the bombing and massacres in Iraq, in Afghanistan, so they don’t have the right to condemn anyone”. “We condemn violence, imperialism, and interventionism”,
Chavez proclaimed. “Everyone knows our position in favor of life...for peace...how we love all people, how we love the Arabic people, and how those people love us”. Chavez explained that since the popular rebellions began in North Africa and the Middle East, his government has preferred to maintain “prudent silence... because in the first place, there is a lot of misinformation, not just in the case of Libya but in the case of Egypt we were very prudent... because we’re used to the world media scene”. He also highlighted the role of Venezuelan initiated Latin American television station, TeleSUR in Libya, which has reporters both in Tripoli and in the east of the country where the opposition has control. T/ Tamara Pearson www.venezuelanalysis.com
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4 | Politics
No 54 • Friday, February 4, 2011
The artillery of ideas
Venezuela: National Government and Regions Collaborate to Combat Crime Strengthening police presence and combating violent crime at both the regional and national level were the central topics of discussions taking place last Saturday during an extraordinary session of the Venezuelan government’s Federal Council in the capital city of Caracas
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he Council, chaired by Vice President of the Republic Elias Jaua, was convened specifically to address crime prevention and brought together members of the Executive cabinet as well as state governors and local mayors to strategize solutions to the problem of insecurity in the country. According to Jaua, the meeting of the Federal Council was made in response to the call of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to “convene all levels of government in order to address the topic of security”. During the extraordinary session, 148 million bolivars ($34.4 million) were approved by the federal government to advance local policing initiatives, fulfilling all budget requests presented by the country’s governors and mayors.
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“We want the country to know that there is a co-responsibility with respect to security measures that needs to come from the governors and mayors. It’s not just a problem of the national government”, Jaua said. Also approved was an additional 15 million bolivars ($3.4 million) for training and the restructuring of the country’s 134 police forces as well as a standardization of practices and equipment. INTEGRAL SOLUTIONS Venezuela, like many Latin American countries, has been grappling with high crime rates, especially homicides, for decades.
Getting to the root of the problem has been a major concern of the national government, which attributes the high indexes of delinquency to a multiplicity of factors. “[The government] has always understood that the fight against crime is not an issue exclusively about police. Violence needs to be addressed in an integral way”, Jaua said on Saturday. As part of this integral approach to crime reduction, the federal government launched a new initiative in 2010 known as the National Bolivarian Police (PNB). By working with community members and helping to form participatory relations between
residents and officers, the PNB has achieved high levels of crime reduction in the limited areas of Caracas where it has been active. Given the success of the PNB, the government has been eager to multiply its presence in other regions of the country and replace what Justice Minister Tarek El Aissami referred to on Saturday as the nation’s older police forces that were “infiltrated by mafias”. As such, a new plan was unveiled to form citizen committees across the country designed to oversee security operations and ensure the continued participation of community members in the policing of their neighborhoods.
“We have said that it’s necessary to have the political will, the financial will and the public will on a general level…But the most important is to have the people’s support to have a healthy police force”, explained Soraya El Achkar, Dean of the nation’s Security University responsible for the training of PNB officers. Achkar informed that twentyfour committees would be formed in 2011 that will be linked to 34 different state and municipal police forces. Such measures, officials assert, are part of the government’s new security policy which values respect and human rights over repression and exclusion in order to, as Vice President Jaua noted, “value life and build a country where everyone lives with equal rights”. OPPOSITION DIALOGUE Jaua also applauded the participation of Venezuela’s conservative opposition in the Federal Council on Saturday and the willingness of government critics to find common ground on security matters. “Beyond the many political and ideological differences that we have and that are natural in a democracy…this debate allows us to solidify policies that benefit the Venezuelan people”, he affirmed. T/ Edward Ellis P/ Agencies
Venezuela Protests Interpol’s Decision to “Protect” Fraudsters
commission from the Venezuelan government will review the recent decision made by the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) to eliminate the international Red Alerts for a group of bankers and housing fraudsters who escaped from Venezuela, fleeing from arrest warrants. Wilmer Flores Trosel, Director of the Scientific, Penal, and Criminal Investigations Agency (CICPC, Spanish acronym) said on Monday that a team from his agency and the attorney general’s office will travel to Lyon, headquarters of INTERPOL in France,
to present evidence that justifies the Red Alerts. A communiqué was sent to INTERPOL last Friday explaining each one of the cases, added Flores. International arrest warrants for the bankers and housing fraudsters were originally issued to all 188 member countries of the organization. However, the Red Alerts, which call for immediate arrest worldwide, were eliminated by INTERPOL without notifying the Venezuelan government. INTERPOL canceled the arrest warrants after a group of attorneys representing the Venezuelan
fugitives alleged they were being “politically persecuted”. CORRUPT FUGITIVES Nelson Mezerhane and Eligio Cedeño are among those wanted by Venezuelan justice. The entrepreneur Mezerhane is responsible for stealing millions of dollars from thousands of Venezuelans after his bank, Banco Federal, went bankrupt. He fled to Miami right after a Federal Prosecutor issued an arrest warrant based on alleged crimes of conspiracy, illicit enrichment, appropriation of financial resources, spreading false financial informa-
tion and hiding institutional tax declaration information. Cedeño was being prosecuted in a Venezuelan court for alleged embezzlement and contraband of US$27 million. He remained in prision without bail from February 2007 until December 10, 2009 when he was illegally released by a corrupt judge who facilitated his escape to Miami. In an open letter to INTERPOL’s Secretary General, Venezuelan Attorney General Luisa Ortega Diaz demanded an explanation for the elimination of the Red Alerts and said the decision by INTERPOL amounted to “meddling in the internal affairs” of Venezuela.
“I don’t understand what criteria you have to say these are political persecutions”, she wrote. “What you’re saying is that in this country [Venezuela] there are sectors [of the population] that can commit crimes and if the law is applied, it will only be applied against the poor, because otherwise they [the criminals] will be considered politically persecuted”. “You don’t have to be very bright to understand that there are attacks against the Venezuelan state and its decisions”, she concluded. T/ AVN
No 54 • Friday, March 4, 2011
The artillery of ideas
Economy
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Venezuela Emerges from Recession with 0.6% Fourth Quarter Growth The Venezuelan Central Bank (BCV) reported 0.6% GDP growth in the fourth quarter of 2010, a sign the oil-exporting nation is emerging from a six-quarter recession. Meanwhile, the government announced a package of infrastructure and housing investments and predicted 2% growth for 2011
2.5 billion bolivars (US$581.4 million) to improve potable water services in Miranda state, and 1.38 billion bolivars (US$321 million) to repair water lines and build treatment plants, pump stations, and storage tanks in and around Caracas. “This is directed at the poorest areas of Caracas, as well as the middle class”, said Chavez, who will run for a third term as president in 2012.
(US$1.4 million) is slated for public housing in 2011. Venezuela suffers from a persistent housing deficit, which turned into an emergency in late 2010 when heavy rains and floods drove 130,000 from their homes. The public banking sector, which has grown through seventeen state interventions in lawbreaking banks and now encompasses nearly a third of national banking, is prioritizing credits for housing and food production. New laws have reined in financial speculation and placed quotas on banks for credits to the productive sector. Venezuela posted a US$3.6 billion current account surplus and a US$3.6 billion capital account deficit in 2010, and maintains US$26.7 billion in reserves. The public debt increased last year as 33.5 billion bolivars (US$7.8 billion) in government bonds denominated in local currency were auctioned off, according to a presentation by Finance and Planning Minister Jorge Giordani in the National Assembly last Thursday. Both government and private analysts have said the recent oil price hike could allow the government to increase the supply of dollars to importers and bolster public works this year.
HOUSING INVESTMENT An additional 6 billion bolivars
T/ VenezuelaAnalysis P/ Agencies
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greater supply of government-issued dollars to importers, the recuperation of internal demand, and the resolution of a drought-induced electricity crisis contributed to the fourth quarter growth, according to the BCV. The public sector grew by 2.6%, spurred by growth in communications, financial services, oil, transportation, and government spending on education, health care, and the military; the private sector shrank by 0.9%, with notable declines in manufacturing, construction, and mining. The continued stagnation in national production suggests that the government’s dual exchange rate, which supplied dollars at a preferential rate to national producers throughout 2010, did not have the
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desired effect of strengthening the country’s oil-dependent economy. The government eliminated the preferential exchange rate on January 1 this year, leaving a single exchange rate of 4.3 bolivars to the dollar. The BCV said this would simplify financial transactions and encourage investment, but opponents of the measure said it would increase inflation, which was 27% last year. BETTER DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH While Venezuela’s
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growth has lagged behind that of its South American neighbors, the OPEC nation has achieved the most equal wealth distribution in Latin America, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America (CEPAL). BCV President Nelson Merentes told state media outlets on Saturday that Venezuela’s economy is entering a “new phase” and should grow by 2% in 2011. Meanwhile, President Chavez announced a package of public works investments, including
SUCRE to foster trade among ALBA countries
enezuelan and Ecuadorian entrepreneurs met in Quito in order to promote commercial activities between the two countries by strengthening the Unified System for Regional Compensation (SUCRE Spanish acronym). This virtual currency for commercial exchange was fostered by the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA Spanish acronym). It provides a payment system that contributes to dynamize export activities, response time, paperwork procedures and to reduce bureaucracy. This information was announced by the Director of the Regional Monetary
Council, Veronica Legarda, from Ecuador. “The implementation of this system will contribute to com-
prehensive financial relations between ALBA countries, but specifically to create a vision of unity among member nations”, Legarda said. The President of the Regional Monetary Council and Representative of Venezuela, Eudomar Tovar, emphasized that the SUCRE system allows for an increase of internal financial liquidity in member countries, and generates significant income in hard currency, which can be allocated for urgent activities. “This system strengthens the integration process among countries and enhances social cohe-
sion. It also offers opportunities to small and medium producers to perform commercial operations and reinforces business capacity”, Tovar explained. Several transactions have been done in important areas such as petrochemistry, agro-feeding, textiles, agriculture and mining. Director and Representative of the SUCRE system from Cuba, Benigno Reguiera, highlighted the importance of these meetings and the need to make a greater effort for spreading information and preparing the business sector to increase operations through this new virtual currency system.
“If we really want to be independent from the policies of the more powerful and developed countries, we need to be united”, Reguiera proclaimed. Bolivian representative, Ramiro Lizondo, stressed that this week’s meeting was an opportunity to inform about the different economic actors involved in the SUCRE system. They now have a new and faster way to do business that does not use or depend on the US dollar as the currency for transactions. T/ Agencies P/ Agencies
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6 | Culture
The artillery of ideas
Culture & arts for liberation and Revolution
n a nation where prior governments divested in national arts and culture, importing foreign values and traditions, the government of Hugo Chavez has taken a bold and necessary step to rescue and dignify Venezuelan identity through the arts. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez unveiled plans last Monday to spend three hundred million bolivars ($69.8 million) on a new social program designed to promote the nation’s cultural heritage and encourage the training of artists and cultural producers at the national and local levels. The announcement came during the graduation ceremony of university students enrolled in the government’s Mission Culture initiative in the capital city of Caracas. “Our culture must be subversive, liberating and revolutionary because the revolution is either cultural or it’s nothing”, Chavez told the graduates of the educational program Monday evening. “Politics is a cultural thing, especially when it comes to a process of cultural liberation”, he affirmed. The graduation ceremony was held in the Teresa Carreño Theater in Caracas and was part of similar ceremonies occurring across the country where 3,215 students
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No 54 • Friday, March 4, 2011
in total received their Bachelor’s Degree in Education with a focus on Cultural Development. The Venezuelan head of state encouraged the new cultural workers to engage with their communities to further the nation’s collectivist goal of constructing Socialism of the 21st Century. “You all can work perfectly in the socialist economic units and in the recovered businesses. You can work in the construction of the
new model that is being born”, he said, admonishing the graduates not to “become bureaucrats”. As part of Venezuela’s new socialist model, Chavez announced on Monday the creation of a National System of Popular Culture, which will work to foster collective values and richen the country’s popular traditions. The System, the President informed, will be headed up by the Culture Ministry and will be
comprised of five principal objectives. The first objective will be to facilitate greater cultural education especially for youth, while the second will include the growth of the country’s popular culture registry and increased visibility for artists involved in the production of such materials. Other areas of focus include a greater diffusion of cultural works through exhibits and
events, and the creation of a cultural economy that provides better employment opportunities and a livable income for artists and intellectuals. According to the Culture Minister, Francisco Sesto, the new system will provide recognition and incentives for those working in the arts who have been traditionally relegated to the fringes of the informal economy. “Sometimes cultural producers have difficulties. They create artwork and devote their lives to it and are never able to gather enough money to fix their humble housing. With their work, there needs to be an economy generated in the communities. We can support with resources and supplies as well as the distribution of cultural goods”, Sesto said. A key part of the new initiative will be the integration of public institutions with private individuals, community groups and artists’ collectives that worked together to provide the impetus for the newly announced System. “If it wasn’t for these collectives, none of this would have any meaning. This [cultural program] is not the product of a laboratory”, Sesto said. T/ Edward Ellis P/ Presidential Press
Unique urban cultural center keeps on rockin’
s you near the premises, the conglomeration of grafittipainted containers stacked like legos into untraditional structures is eye-catching. “Tiuna El Fuerte”, as the urban cultural center is named, based on the neighboring military fort named “Tiuna”, is the creation of a group of young Venezuelans - artists and musicians - from the working-class neighborhood of El Valle in Caracas. Having suffered years of exclusion and degrading treatment from governments prior, who viewed urban culture as synonomous with gangs, drugs and violence, these young artists decided it was time Venezuelan youth from poorer communities had a safe outlet to express themselves artisticallly, and if the state wouldn’t help, they would build it themselves. Today, Tiuna El Fuerte is an experimental space that offers
alternative education for lower income youth from the “barrios” - the poor, often dangerous villas that graze the mountainsides of Caracas. Their philosophy is revolutionary and critical, and their objective is to aid in the “socio-political formation of youth, stimulate creative capacities and
provide training in techniques of urban cultural expression”. Last week, El Tiuna, as its called for short, celebrated its 6th anniversary with a series of conferences by renowned Venezuelan intellectuals, such as award-winning author Luis Britto Garcia, and a free concert on Saturday
with a slew of Venezuelan bands, with genres ranging from hip hop, reggae and ska to good ‘ole fashioned rock ‘n roll. The land El Tiuna occupies - an old parking lot - was donated by the previous mayor of metropolitan Caracas, a supporter of President Chavez. But after an opposi-
tion candidate won that office in 2008, all support to El Tiuna was cut off. Since, then, the artistic collective has sought funding from different sources, private and public, to maintain their project and vision alive. The containers, or trailers stacked throughout the lot, serve as spaces for workshops, recording studios, video editing and offices, and they are in the process of completing an amphitheater space for regular dance and theatrical performances. In its 6th year, Tiuna El Fuerte continues to be one of the most innovative and unique cultural expressions of Venezuela’s Bolivarian Revolution. For more information on this unique urban cultural center, please visit: http://laboratoriodeartesurbanas.blogspot.com/ T/ Eva Golinger P/ Tiuna El Fuerte
No 54• Friday, March 4, 2011
The artillery of ideas
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s the wave of popular uprisings has spread across the Arab world, a flurry of articles have appeared suggesting Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez could be the next “dictator” to be overthrown. Such arguments follow a pattern in the corporate media of slandering the Chavez government and the revolutionary process it leads. They aim to conceal the real threat that haunts imperialism: that the Arab world may follow the example of Venezuela and other countries in Latin America — and break away from Western hegemony. Particularly cynical were the comments by British foreign secretary William Hague, who falsely alleged Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi had fled to Venezuela on February 21. This triggered a spate of headlines tying “Venezuela” and “Libya” together — despite the fact the allegation was untrue. A February 2 editorial by the Miami Herald claimed: “With dictators toppling like dominoes across the Middle East, Venezuela’s president-for-life, Hugo Chavez, is signaling worry about his own despotic rule”. The article ignores the fact that Chavez was overwhelming elected as president in three elections supervised by numerous international observers. All up, pro-Chavez forces have won more than a dozen national elections, all verified as free and fair, since 1998. With new elections set for 2012, Chavez maintains more than 50% support — even in polls commissioned by the US-funded opposition. Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres went further when he listed Chavez along with Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as two despots corrupted by oil that must be eliminated. “I believe the world should get rid of oil and tyranny, both of them together are dangerous”, Peres said. The reality is that as US hegemony is being challenged by the popular uprisings in the Arab world, right-wing commentators and policy-makers are scrambling to spin the situation to their own advantage. They are singling out governments outside of US control as possible targets for enforced “regime change” from outside. Responding to the idea that Venezuela could be next, Chavez noted recently that what was occurring in Egypt “started here a while ago. We have been in rebellion for a while now, in a revolutionary rebellion.” Chavez said that rebellion began in Venezuela with the February 1989 popular uprising known as the Caracazo. As a result of International Monetary Fund-imposed hikes in fuel prices, tens of thousands of Venezuelans poured onto the streets of Caracas and other major cities to protest against the neoliberal measure. A brutal crackdown left an estimated 4000 dead and temporarily quelled the rebellion. However, the fervour continued in Venezuelan society, leading to Chavez’s election in 1998 on an anti-neoliberal platform. Chavez said: “What happened in Egypt — and which has not finished — is a sud-
Analysis | 7 |
First Egypt, next Venezuela?
den awakening of people’s power. We have only seen the first waves. “They are events that mark a new phase of history in the entire world”. One of Chavez’s first moves by Chavez when he was elected was to strengthen Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and use it to negotiate a more just oil price for countries dependent on oil revenues. Chavez also took back government control over Venezuela’s nominally state-run oil industry. These moves have allowed his government to pour much of the oil revenue into social programs. These wide-ranging programs eradicated illiteracy and extended free education and healthcare to the most needy. They have also been crucial to the process of expanding community control over the running their affairs. The Chavez government has also used oil revenues to seek to develop other sectors of the economy to help break oil dependency. To follow the mainstream media, you would get the impression the Chavez government is working overtime to silence freedom of speech. The reality, however, is not one TV station or newspaper has been closed down — and the overwhelming majority are virulently anti-government.
On the other hand, hundreds of new community radio stations have flourished in the impoverished barrios, extending free speech to those who have never had the opportunity to exercise it before. The US-backed dictators in the Arab world have consistently placed relations with Israel above the interests of the Palestinian people — despite the popular sympathy for the Palestinian cause among Arab people. In contrast, since December, nine South American countries have formally recognized a sovereign Palestinian state. Chavez’s government, and Bolivia’s radical president Evo Morales, have gone further. They broke all diplomatic relations with Israel after its brutal onslaught against Gaza in 2009. Andelfo Garcia, a former foreign minister of the most loyal US ally in the region, Colombia, said in the February 19 Miami Herald that this move is just one more sign that South American countries are no longer simply adopting US foreign policy as their own. “It’s like a wave rolling through Latin America”, he said. “The region has its own vision and wants to play a larger role”. Venezuela has been in the forefront of moves towards greater regional integration, and a shift away from traditional de-
pendence on trade with the US — as well as greater trade and dialogue with other parts of the world, such as the Middle East. The US and Israel are terrified of the threat of something similar occurring in the Arab world — should the democratic revolutions be successful and extend to exerting democratic control over oil and other resources. It also helps explain why Chavez is hailed by so many in the Arab world as a hero. However, as Santiago Alba Rico and Alma Allende said in a February 24 Rebelion article “From the Arab world to Latin America”, Venezuela and Cuba’s reluctance to clearly condemn the brutal repression being carried out by the regime of Muammar Gaddafi’s against a popular revolt will have negative consequences for the anti-imperialist project in Latin America. Venezuela and Cuba have called for a “peaceful resolution” to the violence in Libya and warned the West could use the bloody scenes as an excuse to intervene. The Arab revolt represents both an “economic revolt” and a “democratic, nationalist and anti-colonial revolution”, they said, that “provides the socialist left and pan-Arabists in the region with an unexpected opportunity”. The pioneering processes of liberation in Latin America, is a symbol of hope for the global anti-imperialist struggle. Therefore, left-wing Latin American governments should unreservedly support the peoples of the Arab world. This would pre-empt the strategy of the Western powers, which are trying to relegitimize themselves as champions of “human rights and democracy” and may seek to use Gaddafi’s crimes as an excuse to intervene militarily. Ignoring the brutal reality of Gaddafi, who has been a friend in recent years of the West and its allied dictators, risks breaking ties with popular Arab movements, they pointed out. It could also give legitimacy to the false accusations thrown at Venezuela and Cuba by imperialism. They added: “Hopefully Gaddafi will fall — today better that tomorrow”. One thing is clear, just as the US has sought to prop up dictatorships in the Arab world, it will continue its struggle to defeat the popular revolutionary movements in Latin America. Eva Golinger said in Correo del Orinoco International on February 18 that US President Barack Obama had requested US$5 million dollars from the US Congress for anti-Chavez groups in the 2012 budget. Venezuelan parliamentarians also have condemned threats from Republican congressmen and the newly appointed chair of the House sub-committee on foreign affairs for the Western hemisphere, Connie Mack. Mack has called for a “full-scale economic embargo” against Venezuela. The real threat to Venezuelan democracy, as across Latin America and the Arab world, comes from the US Empire. T/ Kiraz Janicke & Federico Fuentes
FRIDAY March 4, 2011 No. 54 Bs 1 Caracas
ENGLISH EDITION The artillery of ideas
A publication of the Fundacion Correo del Orinoco • Editor-in-Chief | Eva Golinger • Graphic Design | Alexander Uzcátegui, Jameson Jiménez • Press | Fundación Imprenta de la Cultura
OPINION
I
Army of Fake Social Media Friends to Promote Propaganda
t’s recently been revealed that the US government contracted HBGary Federal for the development of software that could create multiple fake social media profiles to manipulate and sway public opinion on controversial issues by promoting propaganda. It could also be used as surveillance to find public opinions with points of view the powers-that-be didn’t like. It could then potentially have their “fake” people run smear campaigns against those “real” people. As disturbing as this is, it’s not really new for US intelligence or private intelligence firms to do the dirty work behind closed doors. Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) previously warned that Big Brother wants to be your friend for social media surveillance. While the FBI Intelligence Information Report Handbook (PDF) mentioned using “covert accounts” to access protected information, other government agencies endorsed using security exploits to access protected information. It’s not a big surprise that the US military also wants to use social media to its benefit. Last year, Public Intelligence published the US Air Force social media guide which gave ten tips for social media such as, “The enemy is engaged in this battlespace and you must engage there as well”. Number three was “DON’T LIE. Credibility is critical, without it, no one cares what you have to say...it’s also punishable by the UCMJ to give a false statement”. The Air Force used the chart included on this page to show how social media influences public opinion. The 6th Contracting Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base sought the development of Persona Management Software, which could be used for creating and managing fake profiles on social media sites to distort the truth and make it appear as if there was a generally accepted agreement on controversial issues. “Personas must be able to appear to originate in nearly any part of the world and can interact through conventional online services and social me-
Global Social Media Information Flow The online conversation is a fluid dynamic space with many factors shaping media, messages and products. This chart reflects how social media products are possibly influenced by multiple factors, both from individuals and mass media. Social media allows for the social interaction between a messanger and receiver. Web 2.0 uses online tools like social networking sites, blogs, wikis, folksonomy and videosharing Web sites.
dia platforms”. What happened to don’t lie and the Uniform Code of Military Justice? Everything revealed after Anonymous leaked emails from private security firm HBGary Federal is disturbing on many levels. However, the Daily Kos said with the Persona Management Software it would take very few people to create “an army of sockpuppets” which could distort the truth while appearing to be “an entire Brooks Brothers riot online”.
So again I ask, what happened to number three . . . the rule about not lying that was also “punishable by the UCMJ to give a false statement”? President and CEO of Plessas Experts Network, Inc, Kirby Plessas pointed out some of the unethical and potentially illegal activities that Aaron Barr’s leaked emails suggested like “Chumming and baiting” which sounded like “entrapment of some sort”. There would be no warrant for the data collected on individuals which could then be stored for how long? “THIS is the entire reason Intelligence Oversight was created - to avoid this sort of thing from ever happening again”. According to Redacted News, the leaked emails showed how names can be cross-referenced across social media sites to collect information on people and then used to gain access to those social ciricles. The emails also talked of how Facebook could be used to spread government messages. Even the most restrictive and security conscious of persons can be exploited. Through the targeting and information reconnaissance phase, a person’s hometown and high school will be revealed. An adversary can create a classmates.com account at the same high school and year and find out people you went to high school with that do not have Facebook accounts, then create the account and send a friend request. Under the mutual friend decision, which is where most people can be exploited, an adversary can look at a target’s friend list if it is exposed and find a target’s most socially promiscuous friends, the ones that have over
300-500 friends, friend them to develop mutual friends before sending a friend request to the target. To that end friend’s accounts can be compromised and used to post malicious material to a targets wall. When choosing to participate in social media an individual is only as protected as his/her weakest friend. Lots of people have multiple online aliases, Facebook or Twitter accounts for both business and private life. What most bothers me is the lying and seemingly unethical means to an end. Although the government says it doesn’t approve of censorship, etc, when its secrets come to light, it seems to be Okay with recommending underhanded tactics. Secretary Clinton delivered a speech called, “Internet Rights and Wrongs: Choices and Challenges In A Networked World”. To help promote and support Internet freedom, the State Department intends to award $25 million in grants. While that is great news, the EFF reported, “For every strong statement about preserving liberty, freedom of expression, and privacy on the global Internet, there exists a countervailing example of the United States attempting to undermine those same values”. Secretary Clinton later told “This Week” anchor Christiane Amanpour that most Americans “are in favor of human rights, freedom, democracy. We know that ultimately the most progress that can be made on behalf of human beings anywhere is when those individuals are empowered, when they have governments that are responsive”. Clinton added, “At the same time, we recognize that this process can be hijacked. It can be hijacked by both outside and inside elements within any country”. So while the US government can talk a good talk, what it does and what it says often doesn’t seem to jive. Gasp, I know, it’s not a big shocker but sometimes I find that utterly frustrating. The President wanted an Internet Kill Switch, the FBI keeps pushing for backdoors on all-things-Net. What happened to a code of ethics? Does it disappear behind closed doors, dirty deeds done in the dark and used against the US people who are supposed to be free to express themselves? Darlene Storm Global Research