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Primer on Sociopolitical and Military Developments in Venezuela

Out of prudent concern for our own national interests, Venezuela’s failing socioeconomic and political systems deserve very careful monitoring and analysis. Recognizing the potential for readers encountering a confusing surfeit of information on Venezuela—much of which is duplicative and in some cases duplicitous—the Army University Press has established this website to highlight selected published works that we regard as a good starting point for understanding current developments, trends, and events related to Venezuela and its neighbors. In some cases, we hope to illuminate alternative views largely unrepresented elsewhere. We do this in an effort to promote further research, analysis, and debate concerning how to best deal with the challenge of an emerging communist country in close proximity to the United States that is sliding into a Soviet-style dictatorship.

This compilation of works consists mainly of articles from Military Review, publications authored by the Combat Studies Institute, monographs from students at the Command and General Staff College, and selected works from other sources for which we have permission to reproduce.

The Army University Press invites readers to submit for publishing consideration articles to Military Review or longer works to the Combat Studies Institute on issues related to Venezuela. Guidelines for submission are on the Army University Press website at http://www.armyupress.army.mil/Publish-With-Us/.

   

Army U Press Content

The National Liberation Army (ELN), Early 2020

The National Liberation Army (ELN), Early 2020

By Lt. Col. Geoff Demarest, JD, PhD, U.S. Army, Retired

An expert on Latin America provides an analysis of National Liberation Army activities, goals, and relationships with other regional guerrilla forces and criminal elements.

Published in the July-August 2020 edition of Military Review, page 86.

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Venezuela, A “Black Swan” Hot Spot: Is a Potential Operation in Venezuela Comparable to Operation Just Cause in Panama?

Venezuela, A “Black Swan” Hot Spot

Is a Potential Operation in Venezuela Comparable to Operation Just Cause in Panama?

By Jose L. Delgado

This is a 2018 DePuy writing contest honorable mention placing article. As Venezuela faces a historic socioeconomic disaster that may lead to a failed state in the Americas, the authors and considers the ramifications of a possible military intervention by combined regional powers to end the crisis. A senior member of the Department of Homeland Security discusses this possibility and compares the potential scenario to the 1989 U.S. intervention in Panama.

Published in the January-February 2019 edition of Military Review, page 93.

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Operation Acolhida: The Brazilian Armed Forces’ Efforts in Supporting Displaced Venezuelans

Operation Acolhida

The Brazilian Armed Forces’ Efforts in Supporting Displaced Venezuelans

By Dr. Tássio Franchi

It is crucial to understand the dynamics of new migration flows, as well as to reflect upon the lessons learned from the actions taken by Brazil in response to the ongoing influx of immigrants from neighboring Venezuela, according to a professor from the Brazilian Army Command and General Staff College in Rio de Janeiro.

Published in the Military Review Online Excluisve edition, 16 January 2019.

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Use of the Brazilian Military Component in the Face of Venezuela’s Migration Crisis

Use of the Brazilian Military Component in the Face of Venezuela’s Migration Crisis

By Maj. George Alberto Garcia de Oliveira, Brazilian Army

The author provides a detailed overview of the actions taken by the Brazilian armed forces in response to directives of the Brazilian government to deal with the refugee crisis on Brazil's border with Venezuela resulting from the economic and political collapse of the Venezuelan state.

Published in the Military Review Online Excluisve edition, November 2018.

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The Cubazuela Problem

The Cubazuela Problem

By Lt. Col. Geoffrey Demarest, JD, PhD, U.S. Army, Retired

Cuban "Bolivarian" has significantly influenced the conditions in Venezuela. According to this Ibero-American expert, the impunity enjoyed by leaders of the Communist Party of Cuba and United Socialist Party of Venzuela must be challenged to avoid further tragedy in the region.

Published in the Military Review Online Excluisve edition, 29 May 2018.

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La crisis venezolana Lo que Estados Unidos y la región pueden hacer

La crisis venezolana Lo que Estados Unidos y la región pueden hacer

By Gustavo R. Coronel, Military Review, Tercer Trimestre 2017

En el presente artículo, se describe cómo Venezuela se ha convertido en un Estado fallido y se analiza el posible rol que Estados Unidos y el resto de los países en la región pueden jugar en la restauración de la democracia y la estabilidad en el país.

Publicado no Terceiro Trimestre de 2017 da Edição em Português de Military Review, p 43.

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The Collapse of Venezuela and Its Impact on the Region

The Collapse of Venezuela and Its Impact on the Region

By Dr. R. Evan Ellis

An expert on Latin American and Caribbean security issues provides an insightful discourse on the critical situation in Venezuela, its impact on neighboring countries and the United States, and actions those countries must be prepared to take in response to potential future Venezuelan scenarios.

Published in the July-August 2017 Edition of Military Review, p 22.

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The Venezuelan Crisis - What the United States and the Region Can Do

The Venezuelan Crisis

What the United States and the Region Can Do

By Gustavo R. Coronel

The author describes how Venezuela ended up as a failed state and provides an analysis of the potential role the United States and the rest of the countries in the region can play in restoring democracy and stability to the country.

Published in the March-April 2017 Edition of Military Review, p 17.

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The Collapse of Venezuela and Its Impact on the Region

Criminal Networks in Venezuela:

Their Impact on Hemispheric Security

By Prof. Leopoldo E. Colmenares G.

A noted Venezuelan educator and author demonstrates how the Chavista political process allowed the formation of a partnership between the Venezuelan government and illicit transnational organizations.

Published in the January/February 2016 Edition of Military Review, p 53.

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Redes criminales en Venezuela Impacto en la seguridad hemisférica

Redes criminales en Venezuela Impacto en la seguridad hemisférica

By Prof. Leopoldo E. Colmenares G.

Pocos años después de la llegada al poder en Venezuela de Hugo Chávez Frías en 1999, tanto el ambiente de seguridad y la estabilidad de la región hemisférica se han visto tanto amenazados como comprometidos, derivado del desarrollo de un plan político-estratégico del líder de la denominada “revolución bolivariana”.

Publicado no Noviembre-Diciembre 2015 da Edição em Português de Military Review, p 11.

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Iran and Venezuela: The <q>Axis of Annoyance</q>

Iran and Venezuela:

The Axis of Annoyance

By Commander Kavon "Hak" Hakimzadeh, U.S. Navy

Iran and Venezuela are a cause for concern for U.S. security policy makers. They have indeed earned the moniker “the axis of annoyance.”

Published in the May/June 2009 Edition of Military Review, p 78.

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A Dragon in the Andes?

A Dragon in the Andes?

China, Venezuela, and U.S. Energy Security

By Daniel P. Erikson

... rifts may create opportunities for China’s state-owned oil companies to play a more sweeping role in the region’s energy sector. U.S. policymakers need to be vigilant and proactive. The long-term outlook for U.S. energy security will be improved if they can fashion a compelling response to the new dynamic created by China’s growing economic power and Latin America’s resurgent nationalism.

Published in the July-August 2006 Edition of Military Review, p 83.

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Castro's Tactics of Control in Cuba

Castro's Tactics of Control in Cuba

By José Ramón Ponce Solozábal

A former population-control expert under Castro describes how totalitarian regimes systematically and scientifically subjugate their people.

Published in the Military Review, July-August 2006, edition p. 90

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Defining Venezuela’s “Bolivarian Revolution”

Defining Venezuela’s “Bolivarian Revolution”

By Harold A. Trinkunas, Ph.D.,

FINDING A MOMENT in the history of U.S.Venezuelan relations when tensions between the two countries have been worse than at the present time is difficult. Some in the U.S. Government perceive President Hugo Chávez Frias as uncooperative regarding U.S. regional policies on counternarcotics, free trade, and support for democracy.

Published in the Military Review, July-August 2005, edition p. 39

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Additional Resources

External Links Disclaimer

Presidente Raúl Castro recibió a Nicolás Maduro

Cuba Is Making the Crisis in Venezuela Worse

By José R. Cárdenas

There is no other course. The Maduro regime’s intransigence, its systematic destruction of democracy, and its epic economic malpractice are creating not only a humanitarian nightmare within Venezuela, but a migration crisis that threatens the stability of it neighbors, including Colombia and nearby Caribbean islands.

Published in Foreignpolicy.com, Elephants in the Room, February 7, 2018


Presidente Raúl Castro recibió a Nicolás Maduro

 

Venezuelans flock to Colombia in last half of 2017: government

By Reuters Staff

The United Nations is willing to send more aid to Colombia to help the country cope with the arriving migrants, Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on a visit to the Andean country last week.

Published in Reuters.com, January 19, 2018


Could Venezuela be the Next Syria?

 

Could Venezuela be the Next Syria?

By Max Brooks

If we fail to act, if we let Venezuela slip into a spiral of violence, we may face a humanitarian crisis that extends far beyond the small, teetering Caribbean state. The initial unrest in Tunisia exposed the weakness of numerous Middle Eastern nations. Are these weaknesses simmering in other countries south of our border? Are other hungry, angry populations ready to start burning down their establishments?

Published in Modern War Institute, July 25, 2017


Venezuela’s New Constituent Assembly Takes Page From Fascism’s Playbook

 

Venezuela’s New Constituent Assembly Takes Page From Fascism’s Playbook

By Angelo Florez de Andrade,

EspañolVenezuela President Nicolás Maduro summoned citizens to write a new constitution at the beginning of May, and though many questions about his proposal remain unclear, the dictator has revealed some new details about the plan for a “National Constituent Assembly."

Published in PanAm Post, May 8, 2017