Chávez’s Legacy: The Transformation from Democracy to a Mafia State

Chavez’s Legacy: The Transformation from Democracy to a Mafia State refutes the claim that Chavez’s regime corrected the errors of Soviet Communism. This book traces Venezuela’s communist transformation and its effects on the neighboring nations of Bolivia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua. This book also examines Chavez’s behavior in the international arena, strongly emphasizing his close association with Iran and narcotics terrorism.

Table of Contents:
Contents Foreword Preface Introduction Chapter One: What is Bolivarism? 1. Simon Bolivar—A Legend Intended to Legitimize Chávez’s Regime 2. The War for People’s Minds: Mass Media and Education in Chávez’s Venezuela 3. Is Bolivarism a Totalitarian/Authoritarian Movement? 4. Is Chávez the New Lenin of Latin America? 5. Is Bolivarism Similar to Fascism/Nazism? 6. Civil-Military Relations in Chávez’s Venezuela 7. Church-State Relations: The Case of Chávez’s Venezuela 8. Comparing Two Models of Political Development: Democratic Versus Authoritarian 9. The Cubanization of Venezuela 10. External Enemies and the Domestic Sphere Chapter Two: The Economic Aspects of Chávezism 1. The Ideological Foundations of Chávez’s Economic Policies 2. A Critical View of Chávez’s Economic Policies 3. Chávez’s Oil Policy: The Subordination of Petroleum Activity to Political and Ideological Considerations 4. Expropriation: A Gradual path to Communism 5. Is Inflation an Integral Part of Socialism? 6. Other Characteristics of Chávez’s Economic Policy 7. The Chilean Way (Sebastian Pinera) Versus the Venezuelan Way (Hugo Chávez) 8. Venezuela and Israel: Transformation from Capitalism to Socialism and the Reverse Chapter Three: Chávez’s Foreign Policy: Primary Objective— Expansion of His Ideology 1. Chávez’s Views and Behavior in the International System 2. Chávez’s First Step in Spreading his Ideology—The Creation of the Bolivarian Alliance of the People of Our America (ALBA) 3. Beyond ALBA: Chávez’s Attempts to Spread His Ideology Throughout Latin America 4. Chávez’s Puppet States: Bolivia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua 5. Venezuela’s Chávez and Iran’s Cooperation in International Terrorism 6. Chávez and Narcotic-Terrorism Conclusion: The Transformation from Democracy to Mafia States Index

About the Author :
Ari Chaplin has taught courses in comparative politics, Latin American history, and terrorism at various colleges in the New York City Metropolitan area. He also served as an educational consultant for the RMC Corporation in New York City. His book Terror: The New Theater of War was published by University Press of America.

Review :
To encourage the review and discussion on the true legacy left him to Hugo Chavez Venezuela and allied countries to the socialist political project, the professor Yorker, Ari Chaplin wrote a penetrating analysis that lays bare what is known as Chávez. ... Chaplin makes a careful study. ... Chaplin leaves a reflection that triggers the discussion at the university level in the United States. World leaders, struggling to maintain democracy, have largely ignored the achievements of leaders like Hugo Chávez and his supporters in their efforts to transform the system of representative democracy to a state controlled by authoritarian mafias. “Ari Chaplin has written a thorough and original book about the nature of the Chávez regime taking into account not only the socio-economic realities and the national and international policies of his autocracy, but also the use of myths, discourses and references of his populist style.” “Chavez’s Legacy is an interesting analysis of this pseudo-democratic path and its consequences in this century's Venezuelan experience. Ari Chaplin manages to cover the tortuous path to reach absolute power through a corrupted electoral process that unwary democracies may follow. He shows how absolute power, once achieved, is a breeding ground of corruption. He goes on to reveal that false ideological motives actually led to the creation of a mafia state. The power structure of such regimes and the generalized corruption at all levels of government indeed model those structures on the well-known vertical mafia criminal system.” “Ari Chaplin´s book decisively debunks the Chávez myth. It is thoroughly researched and well-written. An excellent effort of analysis and assessment.” “If you want a serious analysis of the democratic erosion that has occurred under Chavez, I strongly recommend Ari Chaplin’s book. It is a clear eyed look at what chavismo really means, what the consequences are of this regime that combines inside authoritarianism, fascism, militarism, populism, drug trafficking and terrorism. It is a must read for anyone interested in politics.”