Hugo Ch谩vez tightens his grip in Venezuela. Can US do anything about it?
| Washington
While the Obama administration was focused on Iran, Middle East peace, and arms control with Russia in recent weeks, Venezuelan President Hugo Ch谩vez has been busy consolidating his already extensive powers, which now include a mandate to rule by decree.
The deterioration of democratic standards in a neighboring country is likely to emerge as a front-burner issue in Washington in 2011 鈥� in part because voices in a new Congress are promising to prod what they see as a neglectful administration into action.
But it remains unclear what the Obama administration will be able to do about Mr. Ch谩vez鈥檚 recent acts even if it decides that Venezuela鈥檚 slide from democracy is a priority.
With the Bush administration鈥檚 unsuccessful attempts at thwarting the leftist-populist Ch谩vez a fresh memory, and with the Obama administration鈥檚 own foray into Latin American political peacemaking 鈥� in Honduras 鈥� having won few friends, Obama may be left with few options beyond regional diplomacy, some Latin America experts say.
鈥淲e can expect a lot more heated rhetoric, much tougher rhetoric about events in Venezuela in the coming weeks, especially once the new House of Representatives comes in,鈥� says Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington. 鈥淏ut the policy options are limited to the realm of encouraging a tougher stand in the region on what can only be called a power grab.鈥�
In response to a surprisingly strong showing by his opposition in September legislative elections, Ch谩vez has pushed through a raft of laws designed to blunt the impact of the new National Assembly that takes office on Jan. 5. The measures range from further clampdowns on press freedom to tighter rules for political parties.
Rule by decree
But perhaps the most sweeping law allows Ch谩vez to rule by decree 鈥� without consultation of the new Congress 鈥� until mid-2012.
Passage of the new laws has prompted cries of 鈥渃oup d鈥櫭﹖at!鈥� from Ch谩vez鈥檚 political opposition and has prompted a cry of alarm from some in Washington. US Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) Florida, who becomes chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee next month, is blasting the Organization of American States (OAS) for standing by as Ch谩vez continues to consolidate power and silence his opponents.
鈥淚t is shameful that Ch谩vez鈥檚 actions to usurp power and impose Castro-style control over the media have been met with barely a whimper from most member-states鈥� of the OAS, an organization she said is 鈥渟upposed to promote and protect democracy in the Western Hemisphere.鈥�
Representative Ros-Lehtinen, who left the Cuba of Fidel Castro as a child, is one of Congress鈥檚 staunchest critics of the hemisphere鈥檚 leftist governments.
US relations with Venezuela, which have been on a downward trajectory over most of Ch谩vez鈥檚 12 years in power, fell another notch this month when Ch谩vez officially rejected the Obama administration鈥檚 choice for US ambassador to Caracas. Ch谩vez initially indicated his acceptance of veteran diplomat Larry Palmer, but reversed course after Mr. Palmer said in his Senate confirmation hearing that members of Ch谩vez鈥檚 government maintain ties to leftist guerrillas in neighboring Colombia. Palmer also affirmed that morale in the Venezuelan military is low 鈥� a comment that some regional experts say may have been a bridge too far for Ch谩vez, who rose from within the Venezuelan Army.
US talks of 'consequences'
The State Department said in response that Ch谩vez鈥檚 decision would have 鈥渃onsequences鈥� for the bilateral relationship, but so far no word has emerged of just what form those consequences might take. US Rep. Connie Mack (R) Florida has called for Venezuela to be placed on the US list of state sponsors of terrorism, but even Ros-Lehtinen has suggested that might be going too far.
Placing Venezuela on the terrorism list 鈥� based on the alleged links to the Colombian guerrillas 鈥� would entail certain economic sanctions, while Venezuela鈥檚 business community has been one of the staunchest elements of Ch谩vez鈥檚 opposition. In addition, Venezuela is a major supplier of crude oil to the US.
The Inter-American Dialogue鈥檚 Mr. Shifter says there is no question that Ch谩vez has been tightening his grip on the reins of power to the point where it鈥檚 difficult to call it anything other than autocratic rule. But at the same time, he says, Ch谩vez can dismiss the accusations of 鈥渃oup d鈥櫭﹖at鈥� because he has remained within the confines of the constitution to pursue his 鈥減ower grab.鈥�
鈥淓xperience tells us that this is what Ch谩vez does when he faces a political challenge, he tightens his grip 鈥� but he does it while preserving a fig leaf of legitimacy,鈥� says Shifter. 鈥淚n this case a legitimate national congress aided him in further reducing the semblance of democracy and the rule of law.鈥�
