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December 2, 2008 4:47:30 AM CST

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Chavez: US Confrontation 'Inevitable'

Posted Jun 23, 08 3:25 AM CDT in Glossies,  World 

(Newser) – With the US distracted by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been busy amassing a Latin American power bloc to blunt Washington’s influence. But the firebrand leader, who calls President Bush “the devil” and the US “the empire,” is receiving level-headed advice from none other than Fidel Castro, writes Jon Lee Anderson in a New Yorker profile.

The Cuban revolutionary has “a moderating influence” on Chávez, who declared a US confrontation “inevitable," explained a Venezuelan official. “Chávez is more dangerous and unpredictable than Fidel Castro,” an analyst noted. “We are going to miss Castro.” But Chávez seemed to soften during talks with Gov. Bill Richardson: “His message to me was ‘Take me seriously, and treat me better.’”

Source New Yorker

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On Hugo Chavez, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said, %u201CWe need to establish some lines of communication with him. We should keep a stable relationship with Venezuela; it%u2019s in our interest...   (AP Photo)
Fidel Castro serves as a source for level-headed and pragmatic consultation for Hugo Chavez. "The relationship is key because Chávez has a kind of adolescent devotion to him," said a Venezuelan official.   (AP Photo/Juventud Revelde)
Asked if the tense relations between the US and Venezuela would explode, Hugo Chavez said, %u201CYes%u2014not the United States as such but the imperial line of the United States. Confrontation is inevitable.%u201D   (AP Photo/Marcelo Hernandez)
The volume of Venezuela's oil revenues has meant an improvement in living standards for the country%u2019s poorest citizens, who are Chávez%u2019s strongest supporters.   (AP Photo/Leslie Mazoch)
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has maintained a sometimes rocky with his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe.   (AP Photo/William Fernando Martinez)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
"Porque no te callas?" Spainish King Juan Carlos told Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to shut up.   (julioza)

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George W. Bush • United States • oil • Venezuela • Cuba • Colombia • Hugo Chávez • Fidel Castro • Alvaro Uribe


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