The Winds Of Change

Hugo Chavez

28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013

The recent health concerns of Hugo Chavez have been in the media a lot in recent weeks, yet it almost seemed impossible that he could die. His larger than life personality has taken center stage in global politics on and off again as a struggle with other world leaders seemed to suggest a coupe may end the reign of power. 

His story had humble beginnings and seemed to parallel those of Che and Castro, yet in the end other world leaders started to question not only his resolve but his rational as a leader. Chavez started out for the most part as a military officer who climbed the ranks in Venezuela and took on political ambitions mostly due to his dissatisfaction with the party in power. 

A failed coup attempt by Chavez and his supporters in 1992 sent Chavez to prison in his own country for two years and when he was freed he took a different approach to gaining power. He founded his own social democratic party and gained power in 1998. In October of 2012 Chavez won his forth term as President, however, those close to him must have known his health was in jeopardy. After fighting so long against the western world and especially with the US this was now a fight that he could not win. This struggle caused strain with countries like Canada and United States and that in turn caused a lot of poverty in my opinion to his own people. 

I lived in Chile for a few years and watched the South American TV version of what was happening and it wasn't pretty. It seems some events were lost in translation or were not worthy of mention in North America or Europe, yet in Chile we watched countless interviews with citizens in peril and questioning what would happen with their country under their then current leader. Now that he has passed on I see posts about his changes to politics and his contributions to the people of Venezuela but what are we really talking about. A true leader puts his own emotions aside for the greater good of his own people. I never witnessed that myself. I only hope some Venezuelan's did.