It's the Oil, Stupid (4/13/02)
by Dean Hartwell
Recently, the military
of Venezuela, along with other groups, arrested President Hugo Chavez and
replaced him with "interim" leader Pedro Carmona. Leaders of several
nations, including Mexican President Vicente Fox, have refused to recognize the
new Venezuelan government.
What does the Bush Administration have to say about this undemocratic
transition of power?
The Administration called it a "change in government" and said it was
the will of Venezuela's people.
A coup is a change in government. So is an assassination.
As far as the "will of the people" is concerned, the same people elected
Chavez in 1998.
Bush aides also pointed to Chavez's actions preceding the transition. The
president allegedly ordered his police to fire on unarmed people protesting his
government.
If these allegations are true, we should persuade Venezuela to uphold due
process of law and put Chavez on trial and/or impeach him. In a democracy,
civilians, not the military, take these actions. As a nation that says it
upholds democracy, the United States must criticize the new leadership on these
grounds alone.
Why, then, won't Bush Administration denounce this military takeover? It may
have something to do with the new policies interim leader Carmona has already
put into play. He has repealed forty-nine of Chavez's laws and has re-installed
as the head of a large state-owned oil company a former military general whom
Chavez had fired two months ago.
Under Chavez, Venezuela shipped less and less of its oil. Right after Chavez,
left, oil prices around the world went down in expectation of more exports from
Venezuela. If the situation were reversed and the new government instead
threatened to sell less oil to the United States, would the Bush Administration
accept them the way they have accepted Carmona?
I hope that we can support democratic transitions from now on so that we never
have to find out.