TIME’s Latin America correspondent talks about the growing discontent with President Hugo Chávez in Venezuela’s barrios and how he reported his magazine story on the possible end of Chávez’s hold on power
Hugo Chavez
Will Venezuela’s Pandemic of Crime Destabilize Hugo Chávez’s Regime?
The socialist government has stopped releasing statistics, but on the eve of Chávez’s re-election bid his country’s murder rate is much worse than Mexico’s—which is fighting a narco war
Venezuela’s Refinery Explosion: Has Chávez Made Petroleum Too Political?
The Aug. 25 disaster at Paraguaná, the worst refinery accident in Venezuela’s history, killed 48 people – and, before a presidential election, revives charges that Hugo Chávez has weakened his oil industry by turning it into …
The Gunboat Diplomacy Trap: How Ecuador Used Assange to School the Brits
U.S. and British diplomats should read up on Latin American history before they try to strong-arm regional governments and their embassies.
Must-Reads from Around the World, June 14, 2012
Among today’s stories: The Obama Administration ramps up its spying efforts in Africa, Hugo Chavez’s campaign for another presidential term and how the lives of Greece’s riches haven’t been dented by the crisis.
Is Hugo Chávez Preparing Venezuela for His Departure?
“Get your personal affairs in order.” It’s the hardest thing doctors have to tell cancer patients who are as ill as media reports suggest Hugo Chávez is. With an election looming in less than five months, the 57-year-old …
Colombia’s President Talks with TIME About Castro, Capitalism and His Country’s Comeback
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos will host the sixth Summit of the Americas this weekend, April 14 to 15, in the Caribbean city of Cartagena. The hemispheric gathering marks a comeback for Colombia, which is emerging from …
Must-Reads from Around the World: March 27, 2012
Life After Chávez – The Economist examines splits emerging in Venezuela’s ruling United Socialist Party as the president undergoes more cancer treatment. “The fissures in the ruling party show only too clearly what is likely to …
Correa’s Clemency: Why Critics Say Ecuador’s President Is Still a Threat to Press Freedom
This article was written by Tim Padgett in Miami with Stephan Küffner in Quito
Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa wanted the world to think he was being the magnanimous statesman. Standing before a hall at the Carondelet …
Chavez’s Cancer Mystery: What if Venezuela’s President Doesn’t Run for Re-Election?
Lent, the pre-Easter season that started last week, is traditionally a time when Christians ponder their mortality – and Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez had a lot of it to contemplate before he left Caracas for Havana to …
Hugo Chávez Battles Cancer Again – But His Vulgar Vitriol May Hurt His Political Health
Unless you’re one of the whackos who puts politics before people, you’ll wish Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez the best as he readies to undergo a second round of cancer surgery. On Tuesday, Feb. 21, Chávez conceded that …
A Repulsive Children’s Crusade in Venezuela – But Hope for a Civil Presidential Campaign?
It is a disgusting picture. Seated beneath a mural of Jesus Christ holding a gun, three children covering their faces with political bandanas brandish assault rifles as an adult proudly stands beside them. The photo, taken in a …
Candidate Capriles: Could This Man Defeat Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez?
To explain why left-wing Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has stayed in power for 13 years, fans and foes alike point out that he controls the western hemisphere’s largest oil reserves. But he’s also been blessed with what is …