Chavez’s control of, 26, 67–69, 109–10, 120, 121, 126, 127–29, 149, 215, 234
clothing worn by, 134–35
as disciples, 120–21
faces as masks, 135–38
as fixers, 122, 123
flattery used by, 133–35
and government bureaucracy, 119–28, 238, 268–69
ideas from, 41
meals at palace, 130–31
skills needed by, 132–33
unpredictability used against, 65, 228, 234
as utopians, 121, 269
Miquilena, Luis, 45, 70
Miraflores Palace, 32–39
April 2002 march on, 72–77, 99
archives of, 190–91
attempted assault on (February 1992), 2, 3, 36
construction of, 36, 187
deterioration of, 272, 274
meals in, 130–31
official wish taker in, 35
political battles in, 45
and power, 78, 190, 191, 268
presidential quarters in, 33, 50
president’s office in, 36
provisional government (2002), 77–80
romantic life in, 51–52
Sala de la Esperanza (Office of Hope) in, 35
situation room in, 96–97, 98, 99–100
terrace, 270
Mixed Company for Socialist Rice, 133
Monsalve, Eligio, 259
Montilva, José Ramón, 287
Morales, Evo, 220
Morena, Carolina, 209
Morón, 268
community councils in, 258–60, 261
protests in, 262–64
TV show about, 258–64
Movement for a Fifth Republic (MVR), 40
Mujica, José, 267
Müller Rojas, Alberto, 92–93
Mussolini, Benito, 186
mysticism, 273
Napoleon Bonaparte, 88
National Electoral Council, 101
National Union of Workers, 213
Navarrete, Salvador, 93
Negroponte, John, 71
Neruda, Pablo, 40
Nicaragua, and Venezuela, 212
Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm, 39, 273
Nuñez, José Daniel, 228–29, 230, 234
Nuñez, Richard, 225–31
Olachea, Oscar, 205
OPEC, 47, 158
Orihuela, Nuris, 137
Orinoco River, 18–19, 30–31, 124, 206
Ortega, Carlos, 74, 79
Ospino, Darwin “Pata Piche”/“Rotten Foot,” 227, 228, 229
Our Lady of Coromoto shrine, 278–81
Panama Canal, 88
Panamco bottling plant, 95
PDVSA (Petróleos de Venezuela SA), 156–62
bureaucracy of, 66, 165, 217
Chinese investment in, 283–84
corruption in, 161, 164–66, 171–72
executives of, 65–66, 73, 81, 94, 156–57, 166
and foreign oil companies, 158, 159, 162, 217
and Lameda, 65–69, 79, 81
and national economy, 66–67, 159, 164–66, 284, 289
nationalization of, 65, 217
and national oil policy, 157, 217–18
and national strike, 94, 96, 158, 160
oil drilling, 65, 217
and politics, 67–69, 159
and presidential actions, 68–69, 73, 96, 155
and social missions, 159, 163, 217
Penn, Sean, 273
Pequiven petrochemical plant, 261
Pérez, Carlos Andrés:
and attempted coup, 2, 3, 36, 167, 194
and oil nationalization, 65
reelection of (1988), 167
Pérez Arcay, Jacinto, 191–92
Pérez Delgado, Pedro, 3
Pérez Jiménez, Marcos, 35, 40, 193, 252
Perón, Eva and Juan, 50
Peru, military government in, 88
Pinochet, Augusto, 88
Pirela, Nouvy, 34
Plato, Republic, 272–73
Plaza Bolívar:
buildings expropriated, 13–14, 15, 16–17, 26–27, 30, 181, 258
Hello, President episode filmed at, 9–17, 181, 258
Plekhanov, George V., The Role of the Individual in History, 39
Primera, Alí, 254
PROVEA (human rights advocacy group), 262
PSUV party, 143, 213
Punto Fijo Pact, 40
Putin, Vladimir, 46–47
Radical Cause, 88
Ramírez, Eddy, 73
Ramírez, Rafael, 133, 159, 161, 163, 171–72
Ramos, Carlos, 286
Rangel Gómez, Francisco, 207
Rangel Silva, Henry, 171–72, 280
Razorblade, The (TV), 38, 128–29, 178, 198
RCTV, 70, 109, 112, 139, 186
Reagan administration, 71
Reich, Otto, 71
Revolution Will Not Be Televised, The (documentary), 83
Rey David (King David), 131–32
Riera, Josefa, 258–59
Rodolfo (pseudonym), 265–66
Rodríguez, Jorge, 13–15, 26–27, 30
Rodríguez Chacín, Ramón, 151
Rodríguez de Chávez, Marisabel (wife), 32, 48–51
and divorce, 50–51
election to Constituent Assembly, 50
Rojas, José, 64
Rojas, Laura Thais, 28–30
Ron, Lina, 152–53, 154, 198
Rosales, Manuel, 108–9, 154, 287
Rosenhead, Jonathan, 221–24
Saab, Tarek, 133
Sáez, Irene, 252
Salazar, Raúl, 44
Sansó, Baldo, 156–62
Santeria, 229
Santos, Juan Manuel, 175
Sarah (penal service official), 238–40
Schultz, Lucas Estrella, The Path of the Warrior, 39
Scutaro, Giovanni, 167–69
SEBIN (Bolivarian Intelligence Service), 128, 129, 214
Semtei, Eduardo, 173
September 11 attacks, 71, 152
Sequea, Carlos, 208
Serrano, Ysmael, 239
Silva, Mario, 38, 128–29
Simon, Yehude, 267
Soviet Union, collapse of, 98
Strategic Development Plan, The, 283–84
Sucre, Antonio José de, 191
Suddenly with Chávez, 181–82, 184
Sun Tzu, 65, 88, 146
Tascón, Luis, 103, 176–79, 197
Tascón list, 101–4, 176–77
Telesur, 195–96
Televen, 70, 112
Torres, Marisol, 219–20
Torrijos, Omar, 88
Transparency International, 166
Twitter, 184–85, 239, 245, 263, 282
United States:
CIA, 282
Drug Enforcement Agency, 173
FBI, 170–72
and Latin America, 88
Securities and Exchange Commission, 165
September 11 attacks on, 71, 152
State Department, 197
and Venezuela, 71–72, 82–83, 150, 152, 197–98, 290
Urdaneta, Jesús, 45, 141
Utopia, 194
Valle Arriba, 35
Velasco, Msgr. Ignacio, 71
Velasco Alvarado, Juan, 88
Venalum, 210–14
Venevisión, 70, 75, 112
Venezolana de Televisión, 25
Venezuela:
agricultural cooperatives, 205–6
April 2002 crisis, 72–77, 81, 82–83, 98–99, 188, 264
attempted coup (February 1992), 2, 3, 20–21, 40, 47, 48, 49, 80–81, 90, 91, 112, 142, 144, 193–94
barrios, 42, 176, 219–20, 225–31
Bolivarian revolution in, see Bolivarian revolution
Bolívar state in, 206–9
cacerolazo protests in, 61, 71, 272
Caracazo riots (1989), 20, 40, 59, 94, 264
cattlemen’s associ
ation, 56
caudillo presidents of, 88, 114, 193, 260, 272
class inequities in, 58–59
coat of arms, 135–36
communal councils of, 28–30, 111, 253–55, 257, 258–60, 261, 265, 266, 267, 268, 290
constitutional referendum (2007), 111–12, 139–40, 146–47, 150, 177
constitution of, 40–41, 55, 79, 109, 110, 111, 143, 194, 242, 289
corruption in, 160–66, 170–76, 177, 178, 217–18, 268
criminal justice system of, 227–28, 233–35, 236–40, 241–48
and Cuba, 18, 59, 98–100, 102, 143–44, 150, 182, 212
deteriorating infrastructure in, 274, 276, 281, 283–84, 286–87, 290
and drugs, 151, 173–75, 228–29
earthquakes in, 36–37, 43, 187
economy of, 18, 20, 22, 40, 59, 64, 66–67, 70, 94, 101, 123–24, 139, 141, 159–60, 163–66, 183–84, 207, 210–14, 215–18, 252, 264, 266, 267, 275, 281, 283, 284, 286, 289
electrical grid in, 31, 180–81, 182–83, 208, 211, 222
emigrations from, 276, 289
Great Housing Mission, 284–85
Great National Moral and Illuminating Journey, 231–34, 236, 240, 250
history rewritten in, 187, 189–94
immigrants in, 187, 206
intelligence agencies, 38, 45, 128, 146, 171–72
internal discontent in, 47–48, 56–61, 70–71, 72–77, 82, 91, 93–96, 112, 218–19, 261–67
judicial tribunals of, 170
la lista Tascón, 101–4
land seizures in, 57
landslides, 43–46
list of registrants for housing, 285
literacy programs in, 231
los amos del valle in, 71, 74
Mi Casa Bien Equipada, 285–86
military forces in, 150–53
national strike (2003), 93–96, 108, 142
national strike (2009), 214, 215, 218, 264
oil in, 2, 18, 20, 21, 40, 47, 53, 59, 63, 65–69, 71, 81, 88, 94, 96, 98, 102, 108, 112, 123, 141, 157–60, 163, 183, 212, 217, 264, 276, 283–84, 289
opposition parties in, 18, 26, 38, 74, 76, 81, 91, 101, 108–9, 129, 153–54, 174, 274–75, 277–78, 286, 287, 289
opposition referendum (2003–4) in, 101–3, 108, 219, 286
population of, 42
populism in, 272
provisional government (2002), 77–80, 94, 108, 112, 160
rain forest of, 117
rainy season, 42–46
social programs (missions) in, 102–3, 159, 163–64, 217–18, 219–20, 232, 286
superstitions in, 132
term limits in, 109, 111, 115–16, 154–55, 272, 288
third faction in, 267–68
time change in, 136, 209
vice president of, 288–89
violent crime in, 232–36, 264, 267, 281
wars of independence, 20
Verdades de Miguel, Las (Miguel’s Truths), 129, 198
Vicente Gómez, Juan, 135, 190
Vicente Rangel, José, 45
World Water Day, 136–37
Yare prison, 286
YouTube, 135
Zamora, Ezequiel, 11, 85, 88, 141, 272
Zamora, Rhonny, 24
Zuloaga, Guillermo, 186