March 17, 2009

Dictators in our Back Yard

By Israel Ortega
Authoritarianism is once again on the rise in our own hemisphere. Just last month, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez successfully amended his country's constitution, giving him a chance to maintain power for life.It would be easy to write off events in Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia and other Latin nations as of little significance to us. And yet, while our leaders argue over big spending domestic programs, we should also focus on defending the institutions of democracy and liberty close to our own shores.To be sure, the vote in Venezuela was fairly close, only 54 to 45 percent in favor of allowing Chavez to run again in 2012 and thus remain in power for (at least) two decades.  But even the most casual observer realizes that the outcome was the culmination of a multi-year media blitz complete with arm twisting and calls of "traitors" for all those opposing the president's efforts. In a time when we may think that "dictatorships" and "autocracies" are...(Read Full Article)