"Hugo Chávez's Russian Dalliance"
Anastasia O'Grady, The Wall Street Journal | September 15, 2008
Putin is using Venezuela in reaction to US plans for a missile defense system in Europe. ++ With his economy in shambles and his opposition uniting, Chávez is happy to be used because he wants to rally national support by painting the US as a threat to sovereignty. ++ Bolivian unrest threatens Chávez’s own imperial aims, and fear tactics are being used in Bolivia in hopes of uniting the country and silencing protests. ++ Chávez’s dictatorial goals explain Russian friendship and the US’s boogeyman-image.
