Venezuela under Chávez: exchanging perspectives

Entrance: free for students, others €5

Over the 10 years that Hugo Chávez has been in power the world has turned its attention to Venezuela. The "Bolivarian Revolution" that aims at establishing a "Socialism of the 21st century" is the subject of intense controversy among observers everywhere. Does the new turn in Venezuelan politics more accurately represent a drive to an "Authoritarianism of the 21st century" or is there a true democratic and economic revolution taking place? Are the redistributive policies undertaken a sharing of the country's riches, or are they a form of vote-buying and clientelism? And do the other big investments and nationalisations by the government represent a "sowing of the oil" as is claimed, or are they just inefficient and corrupt projects? And what is happening to freedom of expression?

Machiavelli, the association of Political Science students at the University of Amsterdam, invites the academic community and all others interested to join two prominent scholars on Latin American politics and a journalist who was based in Caracas for three years in exchanging perspectives on contemporary developments in Venezuela.

Participants:
Javier Corrales - Associate Professor and Chair of Political Science at Amherst College, Massachusetts
Daniel Chávez - Coordinator of the New Politics Programme at the Transnational Institute, Amsterdam
Tessa Marsman - Freelance journalist and formerly working at the Agencia Bolivariana de Noticias in Caracas

Moderator:
Antoni Verger - sociologist, researcher and lecturer in International Development, Universiteit van Amsterdam
Date: Tuesday, December 1st 2009
Time: 20.00 - 21.30
Place: CREA: Turfdraagsterpad 17, Amsterdam
Entrance: free for students, others €5