Chavez

[Peacekeeper]

I used to like him, even if he was into the reformism and popular united front sort of thing.

Now, with him urging FARC to unconditionally release all prisoners and to lay down their arms and disband, I'm going to have to say that he's looking more and more like the democratically-elected bourgeois that some of the hardliners have been saying he is.

Source: Al Jazeera

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/CA55EDA1-FEA3-4F44-A6E3-9195D02B2C75.htm

I'd like to know if your opinion of Chavez has changed since his announcement, and your thoughts on him in general. From actual OIers and the RevLefters as well.

[RGacky3]

He's playing politics, FARC is'nt going to lay down their arms, and I think Chavez knows that, but he can't be seen as supportign FARC, you can never expect politicians to be true to their ethics, and have their rhetoric and actions match their ethics, its impossible, a few have tried, Che, Debs, Zapata, look what happend to them :P.

FARC, like many of the long time guerilla groups however, in my opinion, lost their principles, and switched them for pragmatism, and pragmatism past a certain point has killed more revolutions than I can count.

[spartan]

Chavez's continuing support for FARC (Who, rightly or wrongly, are deemed a terrorist group by the US and EU) is something that makes him vulnerable to attack by his enemies (Or the "Empire" as he calls America) and has in the past led to threats by the major powers to impose economic embargoes on Venezuela.

Chavez said that "At this moment in Latin America, an armed guerrilla movement is out of place" and judging by the recent electoral success of Latin America's Socialist parties (Who didnt have to resort to violence to achieve their goals) you have to grudgingly agree with him on that (Especially when the guerrilla movement in question is synonymous with kidnapping people for ransom or political bargaining and the drug trade in Colombia, which are the two mains sources of income for this group).

Intrestingly (Though not unexpected) the Colombian government has welcomed Chavez's comments, whilst the US has given a "cautious welcome" to his comments:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7444672.stm

[BIG BROTHER]

Gacky has it right, it doesn't necesarily mean he is really against las FARC, maybe he's just trying to portray a different image or something.

[Comrade B]

I still stand by Chavez. Some of the tactics FARC uses are unpractical, killing far too many civilians and causing too much collateral damage (I am speaking of the common use of IEDs).

[Die Neue Zeit]

FARC warfare is another example of failed Focoism.

[RGacky3]

I still stand by Chavez. Some of the tactics FARC uses are unpractical, killing far too many civilians and causing too much collateral damage (I am speaking of the common use of IEDs).

Not just unpractical, completely wrong.

[Killfacer]

FARC, are terrorists, under their painfully thin fascade of socialism they are just a bunch of terrorists with guns, who luckily are in decline. Chavez is in the right, i think hes a bit dodgy, but attempting to disarm FARC is an excellent idea.

[Comrade B]

I support violent revolution. I do not support the use of spreading fear amongst civilians to bring about your victory. That would make us communists no better than the empire.