1. Expropriations

    ISSUES:

    Expropriations

    Since 2002, the Chávez government has ordered more than 988 expropriations of foreign and domestic companies. Experts estimate the total costs of major nationalizations since 2006 - aside from seized land, farms, sugar mills or industrial facilities - at $23.3 billion.
  2. Attacks on the Press

    ISSUES:

    Attacks on the Press

    The Venezuelan government systematically suppresses dissenting political opinions in the press. Since 2007, at least three TV networks and 34 radio stations have been shut down by the government. In addition, privately-owned newspapers are constantly under threat or face temporary shutdowns if they do not practice self-censorship.
  3. Abuse of Power

    ISSUES:

    Abuse of Power

    Venezuela's judicial and legislative branches of government have become rubber stamps for all policies driven by President Hugo Chávez. Anybody who dares challenge the President’s authority faces harassment at best and legal charges at worst.
  4. Interventionism

    ISSUES:

    Interventionism

    President Hugo Chávez has no qualms about sending Venezuela’s “petrodollars” abroad to his friends. Chávez has bankrolled Nicaragua and provided oil at cut-rate prices to various countries, most notably Cuba. The Chávez government has also been accused numerous times of supporting terrorist groups in other countries.

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Posted on May 17, 2013

In Case You Missed It…Articles Roundup Week of 5/13/10

This week: Shortages prevent Venezuelans from buying basic foodstuffs, from milk to flour to cooking oil. Foreign direct investment plummets The widespread shortages caused by Maduro’s socialist policies have now choked off the supply of a new household item: toilet paper; To address rampant crime, Maduro sends Venezuela’s military into high-violence areas. Analysts worry that Venezuela, entirely dependent on oil revenues, may turn into a failed state when oil prices inevitably drop. Desperate for a scapegoat on which to blame Venezuela’s economic woes, Maduro accuses Venezuela’s largest food company, Polar, of hoarding.  Polar’s CEO convincingly rebuts these allegations and offers advice on how the government might work with the private sector to

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