Astute observers of the dictatorial assault that Hugo Chávez has executed in Venezuela will remember the meeting, mediated by Jimmy Carter, that Gustavo Cisneros once had with Chávez. Long ago, we were warned about the potential consequences of such an unholy alliance between the dictator and a man who embodies unrestrained capitalism, something that the Venezuelan madman claims will destroy the planet.
For instance, Marcel Granier, executive director of RCTV – the most-watched television network in Venezuela, which was unlawfully stripped of its broadcasting license – reported yesterday that Chávez’s latest whim, requiring international cable/satellite channels to air his endless talk-a-thons, is actually aimed at benefiting his former partner Cisneros, whose network Venevision could gain market share in the cable business from this illegal measure. So, what else is new in 21st-century socialist Venezuela? It certainly resembles its capitalist and mercantilist predecessor of the 20th century quite a bit.