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Marshall Marcus on El Sistema: An open network model?
I meet with Marshall Marcus in the Central Bar of the Royal Festival Hall during Sounds Venezuela 2012. Despite the torrential weather, hundreds of people buzz around the Southbank Centre as it prepares once again to welcome the musicians of El Sistema, Venezuela’s now world-famous social music program. Marcus, former Head of Music and the ...
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Why Chávez Should Appoint A Successor To Lead The PSUV
Hugo Chávez recently celebrated his 57th birthday, and is approaching the end of his thirteenth year as President of Venezuela. However, with elections pending in October of this year, and an ongoing battle with cancer, it is time for him to seriously consider the next step for his party and movement. Although Chávez insists he ...
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With Syria, Venezuelan Petrol-Diplomacy Favors Alliance over Ideology
If there were one consistent storyline to Hugo Chávez’s time as President of Venezuela, it would be his appeal to the masses. His programs aiding the poor are hugely popular, and have helped keep his approval ratings high. But Chávez’s handouts are not limited to domestic politics; Chávez has also given handouts, generally in the ...
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World View: Change in Spain will have repercussions for Latin America
The Latin American election season may have drawn to a close with the two Central American votes that were the subject of this column last week, but that fact has not knocked election talk from the front pages of the region’s newspapers this week. At the time of writing, the Spanish public is voting in ...
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World View: Jose Dirceu’s ‘Parallel Government’
If Rupert Murdoch was in any doubt about the extent of the damage inflicted on his reputation by the phone hacking scandal that has engulfed his British publishing business, he would have found unwelcome confirmation from events in Brasilia this week, where his name was adopted far from his traditional sphere of influence as a ...