In August 2004, the Venezuelan public came out in record numbers to deliver an overwhelming vote of confidence. After many attempts to unseat him, Hugo Chavez, the former military man who took the country first by coup and then by ballot, again emerged as the people's choice. It was, in his words, "a victory for the people of Venezuela." Yet despite Chavez's successes, having defended his post in six referenda, two elections and against one failed...

"A nuanced and deeply-reported account of the collapse of Venezuela, and what it could mean for the rest of the world. Today, Venezuela is a country of perpetual crisis--a country of rolling blackouts, nearly worthless currency, uncertain supply of water and food, and extreme poverty. In the same land where oil--the largest reserve in the world--sits so close to the surface that it bubbles from the ground, where gold and other mineral resources are...

An exploration of Chávez's life and career, pondering such questions as "How did a charismatic autocrat seduce not just a nation but a significant part of world opinion? How did he make people laugh, weep, and applaud as if on command? And how does he continue to stay in power despite the crumbling of Venezuela?"--Dust jacket flap.

The American government has shrugged off South American politics for nearly forty years. In the meantime, our neighbor to the south has grown into an unprecedented threat. Hugo Chávez, current president of Venezuela and a self-proclaimed enemy of the United States, commands what even Osama bin Laden only dreams of--but few Americans see him as a true danger. This book, by two political consultants who have lived ten years in Venezuela, argues that...