There's been a fair amount of internal discussion in Solidarity about Fidel's only slightly ambiguous support for Qaddafi, and what it reveals about the limits of a campist approach. In brief, those who split the world into imperialist and anti-imperialist camps, ignoring the internal features of each country, are bound, sooner or later, to fall into this hole.
As for Chavez - this demonstrates what those gringos in love with Chavez have been ignoring for a long time. Chavez's success in Venezuela has been based on high oil revenues that have permitted a large increase in social spending, the use of that spending to encourage pro-Chavista mobilization, and pitch-perfect political skills that include a redefined sense of Venezuelan nationhood.
Internationally, like Fidel, Chavez has been a campist. (As has Daniel Ortega, who phone Qaddafi to express his support). There are many positive features in the Chavista experiment, but anyone who takes it as "socialism for the 21st century" is confused.
----- Original Message ---- From: Eric Beck <ersatzdog at gmail.com> To: lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org Sent: Thu, February 24, 2011 9:19:37 AM Subject: Re: [lbo-talk] Fidel on Libya
[it might be fun to see Julio finesse this.]
http://news.yahoo.com/s/atlantic/20110222/cm_atlantic/qaddafisfriendsinvenezuelaandcuba7070
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