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“What was interesting about Richard was that he identified Hugo Chávez as being a very, very important political actor. Way before Hugo Chávez was actually elected to the presidency of Venezuela, Richard Gott was able to create a relationship with Hugo Chávez, in which Chávez was very comfortable discussing all aspects of his life with him. This book is a really interesting piece of political biography. Obviously, it’s very sympathetic to Hugo Chávez…But it is also very important because it gives you an idea of how significant a political actor the Venezuelan armed forces are—the Bolivarian armed forces. Right now, one of the big challenges in Venezuela is trying to navigate around the Venezuelan military, because they’re the key stakeholder in the country. They’re the most powerful actor. Richard positions and explains the military, and the identity and the loyalties of the military, in a way that, unfortunately, US foreign policy has neglected. It’s really important in explaining why Chavismo remains in power today.” Read more...
Julia Buxton, Policy Analyst
