June 2006
The Venezuelan Revolution

President Hugo Chavez and oil - from the outside you get the general impression there's nothing else much worth knowing about Venezuela. You would never suppose that a sea change has been sweeping through this extraordinary place for more than seven years, throwing up awkward questions as it goes. Is peaceful revolution a contradiction in terms? Does the term 'Bolivarian' mean anything at all? Can economic orthodoxy and the American Empire ever be successfully defied? This month the NI reports from a country where ordinary people are living through far from ordinary times.


NI

No.390

Contents

　

　

　

2 Inside the Venezuelan Revolution
David Ransom discovers a democratic change in the making.

5 The little blue book
Excerpts from the Bolivarian Constitution.

6 'The Cuban stays!'
Watched by Vanessa Davies, primary healthcare finally arrives, courtesy of Cuban doctors.

8 The spoils of oil
Ivan Briscoe visits Maracaibo, source of 'the black curse' and a Hollywood all of its own.

10 Civil soldiers
The civilization of the military - or the militarization of civilians? Elizabeth Nunez looks for answers.

12 A short history of Venezuela

14 Double vision
Old and new forms of democracy still run along parallel lines, says Michael Albert.

16 The Bolivarian school
Jose Orozco reports from the chalkface.

18 VENEZUELA - THE FACTS

20 The hive
Perched in The Valley, a Caracas barrio plays host to David Ransom.

22 Currents
The international round-up continues on Page 24: hunger strikes on both sides as India raises its Narmada Dam still higher. PLUS: Seriously

25 Worldbeaters
When Ethiopia's Dergue dictatorship was swept away, former guerrilla leader Meles Zenawi seemed to embody new hope for Africa's second most populous country. Where did it all go wrong?

26 Mixed Media
MUSIC, BOOKS, FILM review

25 Worldbeaters
When Ethiopia's Dergue dictatorship was swept away, former guerrilla leader Meles Zenawi seemed to embody new hope for Africa's second most populous country. Where did it all go wrong?

28 Southern Exposure
Photographic evidence of the melting Arctic ice, shot by Subhankar Banerjee.

29 View from Jerusalem
The Israeli election made it plainer than ever, according to Jeff Halper: what most Israelis want is apartheid.

30 Essay: Haunted mornings, sleepless nights
Jean Baptiste Kayigama describes how he survived the genocide in Rwanda.

32 Big Bad World
Vegan gruel and global warming: a cautionary cartoon by Polyp.
PLUS: NI Prize Crossword

33 Making Waves
India's brothels are full of young girls who serve as sex slaves. The Rescue Foundation tries to liberate them.

34 Letters
Readers' views collide: is access to rich-world markets the key trade issue?; in defence of Nestle; in defence of the Northern expert; partial truths of truth commissions.

35 Letter from Mauritius
Mauritius goes to bizarre lengths to classify people by ethnicity or religion, as Lindsey Collen explains.

36 Country Profile - Maldives

　

　

　

　

NI Japan

No.78

Contents

　

<This month's translation>

-Inside the Venezuelan Revolution (NI p2-4)

-A short history of Venezuela (NI p12-13)

-The spoils of oil (NI p8-9)

-VENEZUELA - THE FACTS (NI p18-19)

-'The Cuban stays!' (NI p6-7)

-Country Profile - Maldives (NI p36)

-Currents (NI p22-23)


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