The Other Comandante

Abstract

This chapter provides crucial new information on the failed coup d’etat by Pedro Carmona against Hugo Chavez in 2002, which according to some testimonies saw Spain and the United States heavily drawn in. It also uncovers the real background behind the famous fallout between King Juan Carlos of Spain and Hugo Chavez at an international summit in Chile in 2007, where the king in a televised debate suddenly lost his temper and told Chavez to “shut up.” On a more general level, the chapter raises the more complex question of how the international community should most effectively react toward weak states on the South American continent that are considered strategically important, but also challenged by radical political ideologies.