Mission Statement

Caracas Connect is a blog devoted to dialogue about Venezuela and U.S. foreign policy toward the southern hemisphere as a whole.

Caracas Connect invites dialogue at a crucial time for U.S. relations with Latin America. As Washington moves to personalize its differences with President Hugo Chavez – just as it has done with President Castro in Cuba – the people of our country need to learn what is actually happening in Venezuela, good and bad, and debate what our policy needs to be, not just with Caracas but also with the entire hemisphere.

To be sure, U.S. policymakers need to better understand Venezuela’s intentions, its approach to domestic policy, how it intends to ameliorate poverty and income disparity, its use of oil as an instrument of diplomacy, and its influence on international trade and foreign policy throughout the region.

But we strongly believe that this debate needs to be de-personalized and enriched with some face-to-face discussions, real dialogue, and research that go far beyond the political rhetoric we hear from the U.S. administration.

Our goal is to publish comments by experts and authorities who represent all viewpoints, and we encourage candid, informed, and dignified comments by our readers and those who want to participate in this debate moving forward.

Caracas Connect is a project of the Center for Democracy in the Americas.