So, to Jackson Diehl, Hugo's revolution has crumbled

(oops, edited to add link)

Wash. Post's Diehl today takes the latest broadside against Chavez. Article has been widely picked up by some LatAm media, where first saw it.

Also, don't know if it appeared in English-language media last week but Pinera and Chavez had their first snippy exchange last week. Diehl includes it in his article (pointing out in case anyone did not see it). Bachelet's Foreign Ministry last week told Pinera to keep his mouth shut on Chile's international relations until he is inaugurated on March 11.


How Hugo Chavez's revolution crumbled

By Jackson Diehl
Monday, January 25, 2010

While the world has been preoccupied with the crisis in Haiti, Latin America has quietly passed through a tipping point in the ideological conflict that has polarized the region -- and paralyzed U.S. diplomacy -- for most of the past decade.

The result boils down to this: Hugo Chávez's "socialism for the 21st century" has been defeated and is on its way to collapse.

During the past two weeks, just before and after the earthquake outside Port-au-Prince, the following happened: Chávez was forced to devalue the Venezuelan currency, and impose and then revoke massive power cuts in the Venezuelan capital as the country reeled from recession, double-digit inflation and the possible collapse of the national power grid. In Honduras, a seven-month crisis triggered by the attempt of a Chávez client to rupture the constitutional order quietly ended with a deal that will send him into exile even as a democratically elected moderate is sworn in as president.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/24/AR2010012402379.html

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http://www.amazon.com/Castros-Final-Hour-Andres-Oppenheimer/dp/0671872990

Diehl's article reminds me of MH's Oppenheimer and his 1992 book "Castro's Final Hour." Fidel's "final hour" is now reaching year 18 since the book came out.

Amazon is selling "Castro's Final Hour" new for $1.75 and used for $0.01 (yep, one penny). :rofl:

They're like stuck records.

lol