This week Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez was lucky enough to avoid an assassination plot against him. Two unknown men were found in the State of Zulia on the border with Colombia with a number of grenades and an anti-tank weapons system that officials say was going to be used to bring down Chavez's plane in a recent action. The two men were detained and little information has been released about the attempt since then.
Assassination attempts against Chavez, or at least talk of possible attempts have become commonplace in the political dialogue between Chavez and the local media. Recently the US Ambassador was removed from Venezuela, partially for the reason of planning a possible assassination from the Embassy and this past year accusations of attempts by the US and Colombian government have been made more than once by Hugo in his verbal war against the US and its allies. While the origin and rationale behind the possible attackers is unknown, recent criticism by Human Rights Watch on Chavez's government may point to tensions between the President and his population as many have become disenchanted with moves by Chavez to bypass the Venezuelan Constitution to enshrine his power in the country and other moves to increase his permanent role as President, going beyond respected Constitutional norms which were brought into law by Chavez himself. With the publication of the independent Human Rights Watch report, HRW human rights expert Miguel Vivanco was coercively ejected along with a colleague from Venezuela for his statements against the President, accusing Human Rights Watch of working with the US in falsely tarnishing the reputation of Chavez. While having offices located in New York, Human Rights Watch and Mr. Vivanco are well respected as one of the world leaders on independent human rights reporting. Next to Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch is known for its independence of thought are universal criticism of human rights abuses worldwide.
Assassinations are never a proper way to seek political change, but with so many accusations of attempts on his life mixed in with real plots against his life, the attention given to Venezuela from abroad is often derailed by drug wars in Mexico, kidnappings in Colombia and elections in the US which often only drop Chavez's name in brief discussions on the future of relations with Venezuela. With the removal of the US Ambassador, Venezuela may become a state which becomes known only with the rising cost of oil and assassination attempts as more internationally minded leader take control in United States. Venezuela's future has been tied to Chavez and oil, two commodities which often change drastically over time.
