Chavez Phenomenon Studied

The Chavez Phenomenon is a major event in Latin America which represents a remarkable effort to meet challenges from globalization by self-reform. Hugo Chavez was elected Venezuelan President in 1998 and has been ruling the country over a decade. During the period he calls to smash the neo-liberal development model and construct the so-called 21st Century Socialism in Venezuela. Politically he expects to achieve the transition from the representative democracy to the participatory democracy. Economically he is a firm believer of state intervention and views nationalization as a tool to break bottlenecks restricting Venezuela's development. Socially he launches the social programs"misión"to promote social development. Internationally he proposes a variety of alternative projects to reform the existing political-economic order and boost the South-South cooperation.The paper comprises six chapters. Chapter one explains the meaning and significance of the Chavez phenomenon. Then it provides the background of the phenomenon. Politically it is a result of long-existed political exclusion and the deficiencies of the two-party system and those elected governments. Economically it is a result of the neo-liberal reform launched in the late 1980s, which failed to rejuvenate the national economy and undermined people's living standard. Chapter two analyzes Hugo Chavez's ideology and its evolution. An intense criticizer of neo-liberalism, Chavez seeks to reform the development model in Venezuela. Originally he followed the doctrine of the Third Way and launched the Bolivarian Revolution. As a result of political confrontation against the opposition, he gradually radicalized his position and referred to socialism as the guiding principle of his revolution.Chapter three explores the political transition during Chavez's reign. Chavez has made a considerable effort to transform Venezuela from a representative democracy to a participatory one. For the purpose of deepening the reform, he stopped the decentralization process started in the 1980s and continued to promote centralization of state into the federal government. The Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela (PSUV) was founded in 2008 to help Chavez promote the revolution process.Chapter four discusses Chavez's efforts to promote the transition of development model and the improvement of social justice. He is an earnest advocate of state intervention and has initiated massive nationalization which covers the strategic sectors such as oil, telecom, electric power and banking. Aimed at advancing endogenous development in Venezuela, Chavez put an emphasis on developing cooperatives and maintaining food sovereignty. Since 2003 over thirty misión were put into effect to meet people's pressing demand for social welfare.Chapter five analyzes Chavez's international strategy and foreign polices. Chavez regards the South-South cooperation as a tool to reshape the political-economic order. During his reign, Venezuela makes a continuous effort to enhance the integration in Latin America, which is reflected by its pursuit for membership of Mercosur and contribution to the foundation of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) and the Petrocaribe.Chapter six provides the reflections on the Chavez phenomenon. It is pointed out that the so-called Bolivarian development model has come into being in Venezuela as a replacement to the neo-liberal one. According to Chavez, Venezuela will move into a socialist development model in the future. However, there exist two major challenges in the process of constructing socialism. The first one is how to ensure the continuance of the process if there was a change of government due to election? The second one is how to find an effective way for Chavez and his supports to construct socialism under capitalism?...