>Doug wrote:
>
>> ISO maven Anthony Arnove complains that Chavez is following the
>> Castro model. Social democrats and liberals make the same complaint.
>> I guess the message is that the only good revolution to purists of
>> either persuasion is a failed revolution.
>
>The only good revolution is a revolution that produces something worthwhile
>(or more modestly, something clearly superior to the likely alternatives).
>I think Chavez will ultimately fail, and his failure will owe more to his
>authoritarianism than his enemies. In the past, you've raised a smart
>point-activism isn't an end in and of itself. Neither is revolution, even
>when carried out by ostensible leftists.
Using oil revenue to support social development, and to help build alliances across Latin America, is a great move. You Peretz types always complain about authoritarianism, while doing everything you can to promote it through hostility and destabilization.
Doug