Pretty impressive counterpoint to the negative article I sent out the other day, about Venezuela, see http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/5971 an excerpt to give you a taste: The combination of greater inclusion and greater participation has led to a greater acceptance of Venezuela’s democratic political system, according to the annual Latinobarometro opinion polls, which allow for comparisons with other democracies in Latin America. That is, more Venezuelans believe in democracy than citizens of any other country in Latin America. Eighty-four percent of Venezuelans say, “democracy is preferable to any other system of government,” while the average for all of Latin America is 61%.[4]<file:///C:/Users/Usuario/Downloads/Advances,%20Shortcomings,%20and%20Obstacles%20-final.doc#_ftn4>Forty-nine percent of Venezuelans says that they are satisfied with their democracy, which is 5 points above the regional average of 44% and 14 points higher than it was in 1998.[5]<file:///C:/Users/Usuario/Downloads/Advances,%20Shortcomings,%20and%20Obstacles%20-final.doc#_ftn5>Also, more Venezuelans express an interest in politics than in any other Latin American country (35%, with the regional average at 26%).[6]<file:///C:/Users/Usuario/Downloads/Advances,%20Shortcomings,%20and%20Obstacles%20-final.doc#_ftn6>Finally, contrary to what one would believe by reading mainstream media, only 25% of Venezuelans say that the president controls the mass media, which is 4 points lower than the regional average of 29%.[7]<file:///C:/Users/Usuario/Downloads/Advances,%20Shortcomings,%20and%20Obstacles%20-final.doc#_ftn7> ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Gregory Wilpert <[email protected]> Date: Sat, Apr 9, 2011 at 1:28 AM Subject: Re: a convincing left critique of Chavez and Venezuela To: Michel Bauwens <[email protected]> Michel, If you want a different perspective, you could repost this article that I wrote recently: http://venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/5971 Also, take a look at this article that we posted today, which contradicts the BS in the Platypus article, where he says that Venezuelanalysis is a propaganda site and that the UNETE labor federation is a chavista stooge: <http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/6121> http://venezuelanalysis.com/news/6121 Best, Greg