Replies

...First of all, he became a driving force in reviving OPEC and raising oil prices, something that was critical to his domestic agenda. U.S. leaders have always had mixed feelings about oil prices, since they hits U.S. trading partners harder than the United States itself. However, the problem with Chavez was that, in order to move OPEC forward, he had to work with representatives of countries that Washington didn't particularly like, such as Iraq, Iran and Libya... ...Now, it was unlikely that Chavez would want to disrupt the flow of oil exports -- he needed the cash as much as the United States needed the oil...

Interesting analysis, but based on a faulty presumption that it's in Venezuela's best interests to maintain OPEC export levels. The PVDSA economists determined that they should go for market share, that is, Venezuela would make more money opening up the pumps than restricting them. (Like Russia has been saying they will do.) There was an article (can't find) during the coup where a PVDSA leader said he would open the pumps and "no more oil for Cuba."

Who would be hurt by Venezuela's success? Why Iran, etc. They seem to have spent much effort propping up and encouraging Chavez. In return for chavez hurting his country he gets Cuban assistance, and Cuba and Iran are very cozy right now. Ali Rodriguez was a big pusher for OPEC restrictions. And now he's being appointed as the head of the PVDSA with the avowed purpose of keeping to limited exports. I would guess that this was Chavez' purpose in trying to upset the PVDSA board with "communist" appointees, which the PVDSA objected to some months ago, and Chavez relented. Now Chavez/Iran have the solution of appointing Rodriguez as head of the PVDSA, taking him out of his OPEC presidency. The cover story is that he is "experienced." So what, many are. The true purpose is to stop Venezuela from participating in a market share strategy - a strategy that would benefit it, but harm Iran and other OPEC states. Vicente Fox is probably happy about this too.

It's about money - who gets it, who doesn't - though playing up to Chavez' ego about being a world figure, etc. plays into it.

Yellow flag alert. Notice how the article doesn't react very much to the fact that Hezbollah is meeting with Venezuela (maybe lack of info). Why on earth would Hezb do so? Probably as agents of Iran, supplying population control and terrorism assitance, maybe helping the drug lords, I mean "Marxist", guerillas in Colombia, who, by the way, take great efforts to make sure oil production facilities in Colombia are blown up. Who makes money on that? Iran. Venezuela. Every oil producer.

Interesting marketing strategy.