Going Bananas for Terrorists

Staff / Truthdig Mar 15, 2007 Chiquita has agreed to pay $25 million in fines for bribing Colombian terrorist groups to safeguard its banana plantations. One of the groups, a right-wing paramilitary organization, has been guilty of some of Colombia's worst atrocities. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush Greeted With Protests

Staff / Truthdig Mar 9, 2007 More than 6,000 Brazilians marched against George W. Bush in Sao Paulo on Thursday in a mostly peaceful demonstration. A small group incited police to fire tear gas and rubber bullets. Protesters in Colombia also clashed with police, and more demonstrations are expected as Bush tours the region. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bush Calls for End of Communism in Cuba

Staff / Truthdig Mar 7, 2007 While preparing for his Latin American tour, the president suggested that Cuban communism should die with Fidel Castro. Bush also took a shot at his nemesis in the region, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, for his recent decision to nationalize some private industry: "I strongly believe that government-run industry is inefficient and will lead to more poverty." Before passing judgment, remember that our president is, in fact, an expert on government inefficiency. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Castro Pokes His Head Out

Staff / Truthdig Feb 28, 2007 Fidel Castro has finally made a public appearance -- the first since surgery prompted speculation about his health and rule. Appearing on his buddy Hugo Chavez's radio show, Castro said, "I feel good and I'm happy." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Why Chavez Isn’t Just Another Castro

Staff / Truthdig Feb 12, 2007 While Hugo Chavez is often presented in the West as the second coming of Fidel Castro, the reality is far more complex. For example, critics who chastise Chavez for silencing a critical television station often fail to mention that the same media outlet promoted and participated in a military coup against the democratically elected Venezuelan president. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Bush Turns CIA Loose on Chavez

Staff / Truthdig Jan 22, 2007 CIA Director Gen. Michael V. Hayden told the House Intelligence Committee that President Bush has ordered him to "pay more attention" to Hugo Chavez. According to former intelligence czar John Negroponte, U.S. intelligence already pays a great deal of attention to Chavez, leaving one to wonder exactly what kind of action has been authorized, particularly for an agency with a long history of meddling in Latin America. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Chavez Raises Doubts Over Castro’s Health

Staff / Truthdig Jan 20, 2007 Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has reinvigorated speculation over Fidel Castro's health after announcing that the Cuban leader is "locked in a battle for his life." The two leaders are known to be close, and Castro has yet to make a public appearance since undergoing surgery in July. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Rumsfeld Compares Chavez to Hitler

Staff / Truthdig Feb 4, 2006 The secretary of defense likens the Venezuelan president to the German dictator, saying: "He's a person who was elected legally -- just as Adolf Hitler was elected legally." | story Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

TD Original

The Big Blowup Over Venezuela

Marc Cooper / Truthdig Dec 14, 2005 Update: Hugo Chavez and the Latin American left picked up an important new ally when, a few weeks ago, peasant leader Evo Morales (shown at right here) was elected as president of Bolivia. What's all the fuss over Hugo Chavez? Marc Cooper examines the mercurial leader and his contentious relations with the Bush administration. Dig deeper ( 16 Min. Read )

Inside Chavez’s Venezuela

Sharmini Peries Nov 30, 2005 Sharmini Peries, foreign policy advisor to Venezuela President Hugo Chavez, talks about Latin America's most contentious leader -- and thorn in Washington's side -- since Fidel Castro. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )