Latin America in the Post-Chávez Era: The Security Threat to the United States

Latin America in the Post-Chávez Era: The Security Threat to the United States. Hugo Chávez has recently undergone three surgeries for cancer, prompting much speculation and anxiety about the impact of his death. What will a post-Chávez future look like, not only in Venezuela but also in the region? In Latin America in the Post-Chávez Era, Luis Fleischman examines Chávez’s highly controversial Bolivarian revolution, which has expanded beyond Venezuela to other countries in South America and whose sphere of influence also extends to Central America and the Caribbean.

Across Latin America, Chávez has financially supported political candidates or presidents in office dedicated to producing dramatic socialist change, cementing authoritarianism, and reducing American influence in the region. Meanwhile, China’s influence has been increasing and may evolve beyond an economic presence into a more political role. It is in this volatile context that Chávez’s destabilizing activities—including cooperation with regional as well Islamist terrorist organizations, drug cartels, and rogue states, particularly Cuba and Iran—take on ominous proportions.

Fleischman argues that Chávez’s dangerous policies of consolidating control of the government and the media, exporting revolution, and strengthening alliances with subversive elements are likely to continue even after he is no longer in office. The shape of this post-Chávez world is one that Americans should watch with grave concern while taking appropriate measures to counteract Chávez’s legacy.

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