In October of 2002, workers staged a national strike to try to press Chavez to step down from power or call early elections as soon as possible. As a result of the opposition movement to try and outs Chavez from power, there have been a temporary halt in economic activity within Venezuela. In addition, there has been a trickle down affect to the rest of the world including the U.S. as reflected in higher oil prices especially since the two month oil strike which lasted from December 2002 to February 2003.

Presently, there continue to be nationwide protests and clashes between Ch

Even though President Hugo Chavez was elected democratically by the people, the opposition sees him as turning his back on his people. Some see him as allying himself with Cuba, the former Iraq regime, Colombia's FARC and El Salvador's FMLN. In addition, many have alleged that his human-rights record has deteriorated steadily as he revokes freedoms and orders judges to obey his decrees. Perhaps, the strongest opposition against him lies in what some say are his attempts to rewrite the "Bolivarian Constitution" which renders Venezuelan citizens virtually incapable of impeaching him.

Using a world-systems analysis framework, the Venezuelan situation can be illustrated through its role as a peripheral state in the modern world economy. Because of its troubled past and recent experimentation with democratic processes, it has faced a lack of strong central governments and an unstable political structure. Furthermore, its relatively new decolonized state has largely contributed to its current fragile and unstable condition. Because Venezuela is a large supplier of oil, it is seen as a major player in the global economy since its exports of raw materials and resources especially pertaining to oi

Some topics in this essay:
Hugo Chavez, Business Association, Bolivarian Constitution, Salvador's FMLN, Latin America, Gran Columbia, Europe United, Venezuela Venezuela, world economy, political stability, global economy, world-systems analysis, President Hugo, president hugo, political economic, unstable political, president hugo chavez, hugo chavez,