I will observe the 2006 Venezuelan presidential elections with the Bolivarian Circle of Boston.
I returned to Venezuela on August 13-18, 2004 as an observer with the Venezuela Information Office for the referendum on Hugo Chavez's presidency. My blog reports on events as they happened, and here are my photos. Here are stories I wrote for The Monitor and the Network Institute for Global Democratization on the referendum, as well as a longer and more detailed essay. Here are my photos.
I also travelled to Caracas for the Primer Encuentro Internacional de la Resistencia y Solidaridad de los Pueblos Indígenas y Campesinos (October 11-14, 2003).
I first visted Venezuela from
August 5-16, 2003 with a delegation organized by the Venezuela
Solidarity Group. The Venezuela Solidarity Group formed in the
spring of 2002 and is a network of North American activists who support
democracy
and equitable development in Venezuela through education and people to
people solidarity. This delegation is intended to deepen our understanding
of the Bolivarian Revolution and to continue to build solidarity with
the people of Venezuela.
VSG opposes any intervention by the U.S. Government in the internal affairs of Venezuela and supports Venezuela’s right to follow an alternative path towards social and economic justice. It applauds the heroism of the Venezuelan people in defeating both the military and economic coups of 2002. It opposes the tactics of the Venezuelan opposition and their illegal efforts to oust the democratically elected government of Hugo Chavez and subvert the mandate of the Venezuelan people. Today Venezuela is an inspiration because of its their commitment to a participatory democracy based on the principles of social and economic justice. As the U.S. wages war and denies international law, Venezuela is working towards international cooperation and building unity, especially in the global south.
For more information, read my trip report. My blog entries describe events as they happened, and here is a basic photo gallery.
Venezuela and Indigenous Rights (October 2003) and Land Reform in Venzuela (June 2004) are essays I wrote for Global Exchange.
Venezuela Solidarity Group documents
- Venezuela Solidarity Statement by the Venezuela Solidarity Group (August 2003) [PDF format]
- Talking Points for VSG 2002 Delegation
- Venezuela Resolution from the Oakland City Council commending the people of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in their efforts toward peace and democracy [also available in PDF format]
Related Websites
- Venezuelanalysis.com is an editorially independent website produced by individuals who are dedicated to disseminating news and analysis about Venezuela.
- Venezuela Information Office was established to educate the public about contemporary Venezuela.
- Equipo Aporrea, a project of the Asamblea Popular Revolucionaria created in the aftermath of the April 2003 coup to provide information on popular movements in Caracas.
- Clase Media en Positivo, a middle-class group that supports the Chavez government.
- VenPress, Agencia Oficial de Noticias de Venezuela.
- VHeadline.com, Venezuela's electronic news.
- ZNet's Venezuela Watch
- Casa Venezuela, Analysis, News and Information
- The Revolution Will Not Be Televised is an excellent documentary on the failed April 2002 coup against the Chavez government.
- Bolivarian Circles Network
