Blogger Naky Soto at the NYT

I recommend you read one of the best summaries on recent events on Venezuela at the NYT OpEd from Venezuelan blogger Naky Soto.

The New York Times and the Washington Post trash Maduro

This week end two majors newspapers of the world have come out with harsh to blistering editorials. They are worth putting in full in this blog as for once, editorials sound almost as stringent as this blog.  I have taken the liberty to highlight a few words in both editorials, to show how degraded the image of Venezuela is. For two papers and this blog to use almost the same language is quite striking, unless, of course, chavista will claim it a conspiracy and yours truly advising the editorial boards of both papers.....

An ABSOLUTELY DISMAL editorial of the New York Times

On occasion even the greatest papers in the world can really, really mess up things. The editorial of the New York Times on Venezuela will be an example on how misinformed, how misguided, how tone deaf an editorial board can be. At least, since it is the New York times they do not get all wrong but that cannot compensate at all for what they got wrong.

The Right, The Left, and The Poor

By Maria Alexandria Beech

As a friend lamented that the right-wing media and think tanks hadn’t covered the Venezuelan crisis as thoroughly as the “liberal” media, it dawned on me that while The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, NPR, PBS, and others had covered the conflict days after it began, the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, and others had fallen asleep at the wheel, becoming irrelevant in the process.  

“Why did the conservative media cover the 2004 crisis so well whereas they are nowhere to be found this time,” he asked. “I mean, nothing. The National Review, Reason, Cato.”

Replacing the role of the media on the right was Senator Marco Rubio on the senate floor. The rather lazily-delivered speech was accessible on YouTube, and many shared it. The speech drew exhausted parallels between Venezuela and Cuba, and expounded upon the evils of the Castro brothers. Rubio also held a press conference with Florida’s Republican governor Rick Scott at a Venezuelan restaurant where Marco delivered the same message. In one fell swoop, Rubio campaigned for votes from Cubans and Venezuelans, for the senate and an inevitable future presidential run. No one took notice.

And makes that three plus scores for Leopoldo Lopez today

I had not read the NYT yet and just before going to bed there is yet another great article about the fight of Leopoldo Lopez, by Simon Romero. 

So let's see, the business is covered by The Economist, the political intellectual side by the NYT, the diplomatic by the Carter Center. Next?

The fallout of Luisa Estella idiotic ruling and chavismo inability to come to grips with international reality is costing much more than I was myself expecting....  Someone inside chavismo gotta get fired on that mess.  How clueless can one be and how blinded by personal hatred to commit such a mistake?

Articles that set the agenda: Simon Romero of the NYT describes Venezuela's involvement in helping the FARC

Sometimes I wonder whether Chavez realizes that what sets the tone in foreign chanceries is not necessarily his endless speeches and attacks but articles like the one Simon Romero penned for the New York Times today. In a calm and dispassionate manner Mr. Romero describes without unnecessary details all the main proved elements that indicate an active support of Venezuela government for the FARC narco-guerilla cum terrorist group. It would be worth for any court of law to use to draft a preliminary indictment of Chavez and some of his ministers.

The thing is that now there is so much direct evidence that one wonders how come no one is in jail yet. Let's take the case of Rodriguez Chacin, twice interior minister of Chavez, and thus twice in charge of the security apparatus of Chavez. I use the term of "security apparatus of Chavez" as it is painfully acknowledged that Rodriguez Chacin cared little for the every day security of Venezuelans during his tenures.

We all remember that Rodriguez Chacin was welcoming the hostages released by the FARC more than one year ago, and we remember even more the warm relationship he seemed to have with the guerrilla, duly captured in video, where he expressed his open support if not admiration for their cause. Each time Rodriguez Chacin leaves the ministry he disappears from public view, from political apparitions. As such we have gathered that he is a special agent of Chavez, brought in and out of government when certain "special" missions are required.

We cannot thus be surprised when Rodriguez Chacin appears in the material seized from the FARC by the Colombian Intelligence services and armed forces. Apparently he has been a major contact for weapon deals with the FARC. And can we be surprised either that the US accuses Rodriguez Chacin of involvement in drug trafficking? The real and only question here is how come Venezuela is not investigating him yet....

And this is just one of the many items touched by Mr. Romero's devastating narrative, the more so that a lot of his stuff is, well, in the public domain now. It was just a matter of putting two and two together and getting the complete version of the FARC computers. All material equally available to the Chavez cronies.

How come Chavez does not see the damage done to him overseas? True, that he sits on much needed oil is a help but the international clouds are getting grayer by the day and his blustery verbal attacks from Honduras to Colombia are not helping him at all.

Or is it that he sees it so well, that the smoking gun to link him directly will be found any time soon, that he decided to go on the offensive and decided to start closing Venezuelan media and curtailing freedom of expression and information. If that is the case, then we may expect the worse with Colombia as they are not going to stand still as they see Chavez backing the FARC openly. including restricted weapons.

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The New York Times: Venezuelans’ Right to Say No

Sometimes the work of solitary bloggers finally is vindicated when a major newspaper comes out with an editorial who in full validates all what they had been writing for years (as reader Libertad pointed in a comment).

Without further ado I invite you to read today's editorial of the New York Times, which comes with perfect timing between the vote and the expulsion of Herrero, with methods in accordance to a fascisto-thuggish regime rather than a democracy.

Hugo, win or lose tomorrow, the word is out on you. All the money you sunk into internet and propaganda agencies like the VIO has gone to total waste. But so was most of the 10 years that went by.

Addenda: later today I also found Forero on Ledezma's problems. Not an editorial, but as good an exposition of the anti democratic nature of chavismo as the NYT editorial.


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And more good news: The New York Times on US future policies toward Latin America

I do not know whether the New York Times read the letters to Obama sent through diverse blogs, but if they did not do so we can write that "great minds think alike". Today's editorial is a must read for any person that Obama will hire at State. I enjoyed this paragraph a lot:

Declining oil prices, and the declining stature of President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, will also make Mr. Obama’s task easier.

We have no patience for Mr. Chavez’s corrupt and autocratic ways. But the Bush administration did enormous damage to American credibility throughout much of the region when it blessed what turned out to be a failed coup against Mr. Chavez.

Obama will not be cursed with that albatross of the coup blessing. It needs to be repeated by the way, that no matter what the Eva Golingers of the world say or what cute things Chavez invents (the last thing was that US helicopters landed at Maiquetia on April 11 and the "people" forced them to leave), there is no proof that the US was actively preparing the coup, not even that it knew much about it before hand. NOTE: I am not saying the US is nice, its involvement in too many other coups is well established, but the April 11 fantasy intervention is still that, a fantasy intervention propagated by paid agents of Chavez with new and more extraordinary acts of heroism and resistance as years go by. Only the "blessing" exists, courtesy of Condi herself.

And as it is accurate with Venezuela the editorial is also accurate as to what Washington needs to do about Latin America. The last paragraph is priceless:

IF there is still a question about the need for a new policy for the region, consider these facts: Latin America provides a third of the nation’s oil imports, most of its immigrants and virtually all of its cocaine. And, oh yes, it’s right next door.

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Editorials that hurt: no holds from the New York Times

If Hugo was pissed off last night, imagine his temper this morning if they bring him the translation of today's New York Times editorial. I love, LOVE, the last paragraph.

He should heed the message. Rather than lash out at his opponents, Mr. Chávez must accept democratic limits to his rule. He should stop trying to extend his control — by hook or crook — over all of Venezuela’s political and economic institutions. He should abandon for good his push to change the Constitution so that he can run for a third term in 2013. Venezuelans deserve the chance to choose a competent government.

Here Patricia! Your cue for your CNN report.
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The New York Times latest on Chavez

Sorry for the delay in posting this. The New York Times had yet another editorial panning Chavez. Sin desperdicio.

The New York Times hits it 100% in its understanding on why Chavez is holding yet another nationalization spree: to buy back the support of the poorest sectors who are starting to defect.... Long gone are the days when the Times still gave chavismo some credit: after the quote below you know they know:

Mr. Chavez’s cronies have proved that they don’t have the skill — or the honesty — to run these businesses.

In other words the NYT knows what is eating the beast from inside.

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NOT fooling all the people all of the time: Chavez retreats

There was today a lovely article by Simon Romero of the New York Times. As the paper correspondent based in Caracas it seems that he is having problems to find some food items too. This sympathetic article is perfectly in tune with the mood of the times, that fin de règne atmosphere that is slowly covering all of us since December 2. A must read, an article that in addition confirms exactly all that this blogger has been writing over the last few months. Thus either he is on the NYT payroll or perhaps Mr. Romero in Caracas is experiencing the same thing that we folks experience all across the country.

And do not miss the scandalous picture for the cover: it was taken in Tachira a few days ago when the army had to control large mobs eager to find food, any food. See, the Colombian border is the most affected by food shortages since Venezuela all but broke relations with Colombia. Curiously, such throngs of people seeking food are not seen on the Colombian side. Gee, I wonder why.....

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Chavismo caught in its contradictions and lies

This week has been really hard on poor chavistas.

It all started last Sunday when their beloved leader blew up a few of his fuses and ranted furiously in front of less than half filled Avenida Bolivar. His speech that day will deserve a footnote in "Historia Universal de la Infamia".

But good soldiers they are (though many of them are just mercenaries) and they got ready to obey the orders of Chavez, just in case he actually meant his words, but hoping that they would not have to do so. As bad luck had it, they had to...

Tuesday "mi general" Baduel came out against the constitutional reform in the most stinging of criticism to the fraudulent project. Chavez himself that night had to go on line to the Vanessa Davies "show" to call Baduel a traitor and to say that Bolivar was murdered and that he personally would set this matter clear. Chavez as a star of "Cold Case: CSI Caracas" the new hit show. Obviously for the rest of the week we saw boatloads of chavistas who spent recent years ass kissing Baduel bending backward past breaking point to call him a traitor. Clearly chavismo is ready for Stalin show trials. The new constitution will allow finally for their official set up.

Still, that week would strain chavismo ability to recant the obvious. Wednesday the world press, not Globovision nor any Venezuelan junket, showed how a returning group from the huge and pacific student march was met at the UCV by chavista gunmen. Now, in normal circumstances chavismo would have been able to muddle things well enough to confuse its followers, easily duped. But this time all the documentary evidence comes from international news agency pictures who had a field day in shots that went around the world. A few of these camera men added quite a few points towards their year end bonus. Heck, even the French news had Venezuela in the nightly news two days in a row! And not with a pro Chavez coverage.

This very sad event will leave us with what seems to have become the symbol of the Constitutional Reform, a picture so telling about the conviction power of chavismo these days. Vote SI or be dead.



Since Wednesday the government has been trying to sell the version that a few nice chavista students were savagely entrapped in the Social Sciences building of campus by hordes of anti Chavez students trying to smoke them out. Yet, I think that even the attorney general said that "one of the pro Chavez student might have had a gun". I do not know whether Isaias Rodriguez said that, with those words or not, because the web of tales has become so dense, and interchangeable among chavismo, that one gets dizzy. Unfortunately in all videos available the guns, and the escape motorbikes, and the people shooting from motorbikes have all been tied with pro Chavez sectors. Including the cops at the entry of campus that let the bikers go in and out without any trouble, even on bikes belonging to the police.

Thus this week is ending with all chavistadom out in force using the last reply tool they have left once arguments are voided: insult and smearing. We saw that a lot in the National Assembly where chavismo was calling for the closing of Globovision for promoting terror and accusing CNN of supporting every single item uttered by Globovision. I suppose that soon chavismo will provide us a video of CNN's Viotto giving guns to chavistas.....

But chavismo tales certainly cannot explain while Simon Romero of the New York Times had to track down Yon Goicoechea , one of the student leaders who has been so threatened that even though we supposedly live in a land of liberty and absolute freedom of expression has started sleeping in different places. And he has to change cell phones every few days. From the Romero article we can see that chavismo explanations are not flying overseas. Well, they seem to be crash landing at home too. The student protest are slowly but surely becoming the good guys side, the heroes. After all, who can believe that a revolution is made AGAINST the bulk of the student body of a country? Who can take seriously the pro chavez students, all but one unelected from any campus group, most on some form of governmental payroll.

In a curious turn of events we also got the news yesterday that Tascon of the infamous list was expelled from the PSUV, the socialist party which is the cryptic organization that will act soon as the traditional commie parties of the Soviet era. Apparently Tascon had the misfortune to say that how come Baduel was treated as a traitor if Arias Cardenas who said much worse things about Chavez in 2000 was now his ambassador to the UN. A closed door short meeting was enough to expel Tascon. This one, we must stress once again, had a role akin to an evil Baduel of the Recall Election process in that his actions helped greatly Chavez secure a fraudulent victory. The homonym list he set up then from the names of those who signed is still used today extensively as an active political discrimination tool, pure McCarthyism of the XXI century. At least we know that in the purge department the chavismo that will emerge after December 2 will be highly efficient. Bringing us milk to our tables will be another story.

Yes, milk. There are reports also of people fighting for a pound of powder milk; or of the armed forces battling the "buhoneros" to force them to sell milk at the regulated prices. these ones preferred to spill milk on the side walk. As the shelves of Venezuela are slowly lacking more and more items we learned that through the dismal inefficiency of the Venezuelan public administration 1660 cows died in a ship at Puerto Cabello. In a tale worthy of Garcia Marquez tug boats had to push the boat at sea to throw overboard the putrescent meat. No word form the sharks yet though we are sure that the land sharks will keep whatever commission they pocketed to bring missing meat to Venezuela even if that one will never reach the shelves.

And then, perhaps to make sure that people for a few hours stopped talking about missing milk, sugar and what not, Chavez decided to fight with the King of Spain. This one told Chavez to shut up while a puffed Chavez did not seem to realize on the spot the gravity of what had happened. The room at the Ibero-American summit applauded loudly in support of Zapatero at the end of his angry but amazingly still polite reply to Chavez (the King had left in disgust).

I must say that we are in awe this week as to how chavismo committed so many errors and displayed so consistently its true totalitarian inner child. I was looking for some symbol to convey that idea to the readers of this blog and I found it this morning while reading Friday's Tal Cual. Wednesday night there was an interesting TV moment. Vanessa Davies, one of the anchors of the state TV, VTV, was in full spin action for the UCV shooting. She was interviewing some of the "victims" who escaped at great risk the "encircled building" where the "lynch mob" was going at work.

Unfortunately at the very same moment Globovision was able to split the screen image and show side by side that the spokesperson of the "victim group" interviewed by Vanessa was in fact one of the leaders of the chavista group at the UCV where he was carrying a heavy weapon with all the intentions of using it. I have these pictures below from Tal Cual. I think chavismo will be well advised to take a deep breath before hitting the stages of VTV because now almost anyone has a video camera on hand to film all the abuses that these mercenaries are committing.

Then again I suppose that the intention of Vanessa Davies was to shore up the faith of the truly faithful who seem to be deserting fast the "SI" voting ranks of the coming referendum if we are to believe the polls. It looks that chavismo is now more concerned about stopping the hemorrhage than gaining new supporters.

The legend for the pictures: Thus the cynicism of the XXI century. Not only do the chavista shooters act without any restraint or any consequences for them, kidnap students, go through police barriers and rescue themselves but they have at their service the communication apparatus of the state. Last Wednesday night the social studies student José Félix Valera appeared on VTV the network which allegedly belongs to all, all Venezuelans, presenting himself as an innocent victim of the "violent oppositionists" [inexistent term in either Spanish of English but coined as a pejorative by chavismo] when in fact he was one of the main characters of the armed aggression of the fascist chavismo at the UCV [sic]. This in VTV is what they call "Contacto con la realidad" [contact with reality], the distortion of news to satisfy an alleged political and revolutionary engagement and a permissive journalism.



Note: this post is heavy on links to my previous posts. Not a question of narcissism but these posts contain many links with their explanations to the original info.

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Insulza and the New York Times

Today we got an abject lesson on how credibility is done and undone.

Long time readers of this blog are aware of my love-hate relationship with the New York Times. At some point, seeing how the New York times seemed to have fallen under the sway of Juan Forero, how ignorant on the real intentions of Chavez it was, and how bad the reporting on Venezuela was, I had even canceled the daily E-mail I was receiving from them. For me it was hard. During my many years of living in the US the New York Times had been my constant companion, the newspaper that accompanied at home everyday when I lived in the North East coast, and the required Sunday reading when the South did not allow me the option of home delivery. From the Crossword (I have done on my own every single day except Sunday, I am not native speaker after all) to the Opera section going through the science page and the different "journals", I can say that my whole outlook on the US was strongly shaped by the NYT.

I am not reconciled with the NYT yet: it has done too much damage to Venezuelan democracy. However today I am forced to recognize that the departure of Juan Forero for the Washington Post (where surprisingly he has grown into a critic of Chavez) has allowed for a shift in the NYT view, a shift apparently greatly helped by much better and balanced reporting of their new correspondent, Simon Romero. But if I am still far from being happy (after all love-hate relationships are hard to overcome) I am nevertheless forced to accept that this progressive turn around of the NYT implies that there are reserves of self criticism within the newspaper. I am not expecting ever the NYT to apologize for being soft on Chavez for half a decade but the fact that a progressive U-turn took place is what ensures in the long term credibility, be it for a newspaper of for a politician.

Thus it is with utter amusement that I read the reaction of William Lara, the goebbelian minister of communication of Chavez when, based on the latest Times editorial, he stated that the New York Times was working for Bush. I am sure that even the beleaguered White House staff must have had a smile reading that today, not to mention the predictable hilarity at the NYT offices. I just hope for his sake that Lara is not going to kick out Romero: then he and his master will finally learn what the NYT power is (1).

If the New York Times seems to be taking a good measure of Chavez after its divine characterization of chavismo democracy as "It’s participatory democracy in which only Mr. Chavez and his friends get to participate" such good news cannot be said for the OAS secretary Insulza.

Mr. Insulza, called affectionately "the Panzer" in Chile has turned out to be the perfect wimp. Apparently he has taken so seriously his election to the OAS seat due to Chavez that he cannot bring himself to reply directly to Chavez even when this one insults him publicly. If we could forgive Insulza that his job requires him to be not as objective as the New York Times, we could still expect him to be a defender of democracy in the Americas. Unfortunately in now too numerous examples to bother repeating here he has paved the way out for Chavez abuses, the latest one when he all but ignored the closing of the main private media in Venezuela, RCTV. (2)

At any rate, Insulza wishy-washyness is coming home to root. Today the fire came from Jorge Quiroga, ex Bolivian president and the valiant leader to the autocratic tendencies of Evo Morales in Bolivia.

In Bolivia, since last Chavez visit, tensions have increased dramatically. Now Evo Morales people are trying to pack the high court of the country as the last tool they can rely on to take the absolute control of the stalled constituent assembly in Sucre. Dramatic fist fights are now common place among legislators in La Paz or constituent assembly folks in Sucre. Not to mention that about half of Bolivia seems every day more and more willing to declare its independence from the Altiplano. A high risk situation if any in all of South America.

The reaction of one of the main leaders of Bolivia's opposition to the adventures of Morales, duly inspired by the anti democratic bent of chavismo which is now proven to spread money around there to buy as many consciences as possible (it looks like bags of Venezuelan money are also going to Bolivia to buy consciences in Santa Cruz), was to be expected. What was not expected is that Quiroga would take upon Insulza directly and make him one of the responsible folks for the decay of democratic values in Latin America. Quiroga went as far as saying that OAS was an embarrassment for not having taken a position when RCTV was closed and that Insulza would be well advised to defend democracy instead of submitting himself to Chavez to whom he owes his position. In short, Quiroga has insulted Insulza as much as Chavez did except that he did that in diplomatic terms as opposed to the "pendejo" of Chavez (3). We wonder if Insulza will dare to reply something. At least I have the satisfaction not to be the only one that thinks that the OAS should in fact been chased away from any country where there are problems.

Thus we see Insulza now dragging down the OAS with his own incompetence, and lack of backbone and self respect. The only problem is that as Insulza and the OAS lose any credibility ("a calculated plan by Chavez" according to Quiroga) democracy in Latin America will suffer. Woe to Ecuador as Insulza is visiting Quito and patting Correa's back. simply stunning that someone who had a great reputation before he got the job is now becoming the laughing stock of all in LatAm, including Chavez. Can Insulza recover credibility someday? I am afraid he might be much more arrogant than the NYT.....


1) if the NYT editorial is not available on line anymore, you can read it here.

2) this blog has mentioned Insulza dismal failure as OAS secretary only too often even if at first there was some glimmer of hope from someone who supposedly should have known all the signs of an incipient strong ma regime in Venezuela. Unless he hopes that Chavez will finance his expected campaign run in Chile in two years?

3) there is also a strong anti Chavez interview of Quiroga where he accuses Evo of been submissive to Chavez and letting Chavez direct the general outline of the gas policies of Bolivia. In a Chilean journal at that!


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Editorial serendipity on Venezuela

Some coincidences are just too good to be true.

Today the New York Times has an editorial on Venezuela (yet again!). Nothing much new there, the country is circling down the drain and the NYT (and many other papers and blogs such as yours truly) are watching in a strange mix of awe, bewilderment and amusement.

Except that this editorial has a certain je ne sais quel zeitgeist which is truly eerie. The title first, which shows how well folks are catching on Chavez now de-measured silliness: "New Coin of the Realm". That is, making fun of the new "bolivar fuerte" which is supposedly going to cure all of our inflationary woes (see sharp Simon Romero article with picture of locha included). And Venezuela now a "realm" with all the implications that such a qualifying word carries in a for life presidency...

The "new" coin is the old "locha", an numismatic oddity of old Venezuela where to make life easier for a grossly illiterate country coins were divided in half of halves. For example country side peons were paid 1 bolivar wage which was equal to two reales. With one real you paid the rent or some other major big expense. With the other real you got two medios. With one medio you got two lochas (12,5 cents) and with one locha you could actually sort of feed a family of four for one day. A locha had a true meaning since it meant bread for one day in Caracas. They only needed to be able to count 1+1=2. I know, I know, it is a sad referral to Venezuela down to Gomez times, but so it was.

Even when I was a kid a locha still meant something. The "pan de a locha" (Locha bread) allowed you to make a sandwich (if you could afford the cheese or ham to put inside, usually more than a locha). But if you were flat broke you could manage to beg for a locha and at least do not go hungry to bed that night (or park bench as the case might be).

But I digress, the locha for those of us who remember it is in fact not a great memory as more than another coin of Venezuela it reminds us what inflation has done to our lives. There used to be that game show called "la pregunta de las 64 000 lochas" where the top prize was 64 000 lochas if you could answer a given question (8000 bolivares then, enough for a down payment for an apartment).

Back tot he NYT editorial. In addition to the reference to a silly coin whose return makes no sense as even today 1250 bolivares buy you little more than a bus ticket, the editorial refers to how erratic Chavez is becoming. I mean, after yesterday move to fire off at least 7 judges of the high court APPOINTED BY CHAVEZ, and judges who until today showed no sign of fraying from the glorious bolivarian revolution, what other adjective could you apply to Chavez, but erratic?

The editorial is pasted below as their is an expiration date on NYT articles. It needs no further comment as it encapsulates exquisitely, and shortly, the coming economical crisis. It is still time to avoid it but since there is no one to talk to Chavez or put pressure on the mad man.....

March 23, 2007, Editorial
New Coin of the Realm

President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela had an especially good time baiting President Bush during their recent competing tours of Latin America. But demagoguery and showmanship will do nothing to solve Venezuela’s 20 percent inflation rate — now the highest in Latin America — and growing food shortages that are punishing the poor whose interests Mr. Chávez so loudly declaims.

Venezuela’s biggest problem is that there is no one to question Mr. Chávez’s increasingly erratic decisions. The National Assembly has given him the power to rule by decree for 18 months. So instead of seriously addressing Venezuela’s serious problems, the showman has settled for more showmanship.

As Simon Romero reported in The Times, Venezuela’s currency, the bolívar, has lost about a fifth of its value since January. The government has now announced it will introduce a new “bolívar fuerte,” or strong bolívar — worth 1,000 old bolívar, or roughly 25 American cents. It is also reintroducing a coin known as the locha — to be worth one-eighth of a bolívar fuerte — which last circulated in the 1970s.

Mr. Chávez appears to be counting on a psychological boost from a currency with three fewer zeros and a coin that evokes financially happier days. But by drawing attention to the bolívar’s recent weakness and — even worse — to the government’s capricious response, the maneuvers could further undermine confidence, rather than raise it.

Government spending — fueled by the nation’s oil wealth — rose an extraordinary 48 percent last year, and is one of the main forces driving inflation. Private-sector investment, meanwhile, has weakened since Mr. Chávez decided to nationalize utility companies earlier this year.

Price controls intended to help the poor buy food and hold down rising prices have led to a scarcity of staples like beef, chicken and milk. Threats to nationalize grocery stores and jail their owners — whom Mr. Chávez accuses of hoarding — have only made the situation worse.

Venezuela still has billions of dollars in foreign currency reserves. And Mr. Chávez has used some of the oil wealth to push social programs — including for literacy and health clinics — to improve the lives of Venezuela’s poor. But we fear that any good is quickly being undone by the old strongman formula of cronyism, corruption and incompetence.