There is a question that’s tearing Venezuela apart, exposing class divisions raising the specter of a political meltdown in the heart of Latin America; the question is, Who’s side are you on?
Supporters of President Hugo Chavez see their democratically-elected leader as a champion for the country’s poor. But the growing ranks of those in opposition argue Chavez has become a tyrant, strangling Venezuela’s economy and abusing the very democracy that brought him to power.
At the center of the fight is the nation’s oil industry, with managers and unions quarrelling over allegiances to the company and the country. Crude oil and crude politics, who’s side are you on, and how long can Chavez hold on?
Guests:
Ricardo Hausmann, professor of economic development at Harvard University and former minister of planning in Venezuela
Phillip Gunson, reporter for the Christian Science Monitor