Venezuela

I have a fondness for this country ever since I visited in 2001. It saddened me when I heard of the political upheaval, but of course, it did not surprise me. The most telling aspect of the social condition at the time was driving 45 minutes from the airport to Caracas. During the drive you drove up and around a mountainside road. On the mountainside are thousands of little lights - all the poor people living in shantytowns, essentially. There is no law in those places and apparently a high murder rate. The city of Caracas is one of the most dangerous in South America (which is saying something), but it is also one of the most beautiful (which is also saying something)...up in the mountains, it is surrounded by natural beauty and the wealthy districts are quite cosmospolitan - the upper and upper middle classes benefitted nicely from the oil revenue. But without spreading the wealth, the poor will inevitably be angry and succeptible to commies like Chavez. The latest:

To top it all off, Chavez is now organizing a new army, one loyal to him personally. This is part of his plan create "Bolivarian Circles of Venezuela Frontline Defense for National Democratic Revolution." These are political clubs all over the country, particularly in poor areas, where Chavez has the most support. Chavez expects to have 2.2 million members, who will be the backbone of the “democratic revolution unfolding in Venezuela."

This is never a good sign.