February, 25 2008, By Kiraz Janicke and Federico Fuentes
Venezuela Analysis

In recent weeks, external and internal pressure against Venezuela's Bolivarian revolution, has intensified dramatically.

It is clear that US imperialism and the US-backed Venezuelan opposition see the defeat of Chavez's proposed constitutional reforms on December 2 as a green light to push forward their plans to destabilize the government.

In addition, growing internal problems, with a strengthening of the right-wing of the Chavista movement - known as the "endogenous right", who support implementing some reforms without breaking with capitalism - pose a serious threat to the survival of the revolution.

Venezuela's Chavez: Socialism still our goal
Federico Fuentes, Caracas
19 January 2008
http://www.greenleft.org.au/2008/736/38128
A collective discussion is occurring throughout the revolutionary movement led by President Hugo Chavez following the defeat of the proposed constitutional reform proposals — that were intended to deepen the revolution to help open the way towards socialism — in the December 2 referendum.

Defeated by the narrowest of margins, the result took both sides by surprise. A cocky Chavista camp that had won 11 straight election victories was sent into a tailspin. The US-backed pro-capitalist opposition was forced to think up a new strategy, as the next stage in its well-orchestrated destabilisation campaign — taking to the streets against supposed electoral fraud — had to be postponed after Chavez graciously accepted defeat.

“For now we couldn’t do it!” explained Chavez in his concession speech.

By Vincent Bevins, January 16, 2008, Left Turn

Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez’ proposed constitutional reform was far from the cynical power grab it was portrayed as in the U.S. press. But the likely consequence of the failure of the complex package, despite its many progressive elements, is the possibility and necessity of an even further democratization of the social changes taking place in the country.

Headlines noted that Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez was handed his first defeat in ten elections since 1998 when the proposed constitutional reform package was very narrowly defeated last December. The referendum results and Chávez’ immediate recognition of the outcome both came as a bit of an anti-climactic surprise and have changed the political climate dramatically for both his supporters and his opponents.

Reporters Without Frontiers against Hugo Chávez
January 15, 2008 By Salim Lamrani
Source: Tlaxcala
http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/16220
Taking advantage of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez' state visit to France on November 19 and 20, 2007, Reporters Without Frontiers (RSF) published a letter addressed to French president Nicolas Sarkozy in which they denounce “some disturbing tendencies of [Chávez'] regime [and] his behavior on the international scene.” The Paris-based organization – which adopts a political position from the start by referring to a democratically elected government with the pejorative and stigmatizing term “regime” – thus continues the disinformation campaign it has undertaken against Venezuela (1).

“Very rarely has an elected head of state placed so many obstacles in the way of freedom of speech during his mandate”, asserts Robert Ménard, the association's general secretary for the past 22 years.

People's Power in Venezuela
January 14th 2008, by John Riddell - MRZine
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/riddell090108.html
"If we want to talk of socialism," says Argenis Loreto, "we must first resolve the people's most urgent needs: water in their homes, accessible health care, easy access to housing."

In the Venezuelan municipality of Libertador (state of Carabobo), of which Argenis is mayor, "we have 90% poverty. Ending that is our first task. I am convinced that the existing state cannot do this." It's essential that "the majority of the people become part of the decision-making process."

But when Argenis was elected in 2000, the second year of the Bolivarian government headed by president Hugo Chávez, he found that "the people did not possess the tools needed for their participation."

January, 11 2008, By Stephanie Blankenburg, Source: New Statesman

On 2 January, a month on from his defeat in a referendum about a socialist reform of the county’s constitution, President Hugo Chávez Frías of Venezuela performed a stunning political U-turn.

In typically flamboyant style, he made a surprise call to Venezolana de Televisión, the country’s main state-owned TV channel, “to drop a ‘bombita’ (small bomb)” on an unsuspecting public: He had decided to abandon his socialist agenda “for now” in order to form stronger alliances with the country’s middle classes, its private sector and the national bourgeoisie instead.

Gender Issues in Venezuela’s Constitution l
Written by James Suggett
Wednesday, 19 December 2007, Upside Down World.

Two days following Venezuela's constitutional reform referendum, a group of forty anti-sexism advocates held a joyous gathering in Mérida, Venezuela to inaugurate the first edition of their collective magazine which focuses on gender consciousness issues.

Edgardo Lander, 23 November 2007

Venezuela’s constitutional reform – both because of its content and the mechanisms designed for decision–making - does not appear to be the best way to guarantee the continuity of the transformation process and the deepening of democracy.

I

By Justin Podur, Z Net , December 04, 2007

ZNet | Venezuela

by Sujatha Fernandes; November 11, 2007