Chavez U-Turn on Socialism

[allix]

Ben , it looks like he has changed his politics already .
http://www.zcommunications.org/znet/viewArticle/16168
http://www.opendemocracy.net/article/de ... havez_lost
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/53e58658-ba63-1 ... ck_check=1

[Wally Balljacker]

For the moment, everything remains calm in Venezuela. At best, reason might prevail, and a democratic and measured fight for the middle ground of those 3 million "defectors" might take its course. The experience of the past decade suggests the possibility that this middle ground might come round to a better paced and better planned "socialism of the 21st century". At worst, the deeply rooted hatred between (on the one hand) an autocratic and self-righteous ex-elite fighting for lost privileges and (on the other) the emboldened poor fighting for food, housing and emancipation, may come to the fore again and destroy any hopes for a continuation of the civilised, sovereign and highly democratic atmosphere that characterised the election of 2 December 2007.

While I'm somewhat disappointed, it's pretty much all speculation at this point. It's really too early to tell how things are going to pan out. Like this article mentioned, one possibility is that a "middle ground might come round to a better paced and better planned "socialism of the 21st century"".

Time will tell.