Thursday, June 7, 2007

Authoritarianism in Venezuela

Hugo Chavez seems bent on establishing an authoritarian regime in Venezuela.

Aside from his recent decision to close Radio Caracas Television because of its critical stance towards him, he has sought to

- extend the amount of time he can serve as president.
- rule by decree.
- nationalize the energy sector.
- rewrite the Venezuelan Constitution to expand his power.

Authoritarian regimes are noteworthy because their efforts to expand power are checked by external forces. What external forces might check Chavez?