"An antidote for apathy"

Venezuela's president has achieved a level of grassroots participation our politicians can only dream of

Increasing numbers of people, especially the young, seem disconnected from an electoral process which, they feel, does not represent them.

This is part of a general cynicism about every aspect of public life. Venezuela has many problems, but this is not one of them. Its big trouble - but also its great possibility - is that it has oil; it is the fifth largest exporter. The US depends on it and thus wants control over it. But the Venezuelan government needs the oil revenue, which US multinationals (among others) siphoned off for decades, for its efforts to abolish poverty. Hugo Chávez was elected to do just that in 1998, despite almost all of the media campaigning against him.

Full Article : guardian.co.uk