Introduction

“As an oil producer, Venezuela is three times as important as Iraq, where anti-Westerners have just grabbed power. Full control of Mideast oil by Arabs is a growing possibility. New danger, visible in Caracas, is the rising power of Communists in oil-rich Venezuela. Add Venezuela’s to the Mideast’s oil and you have most of the free world’s oil supply, outside of the U.S.” 1

The passage above comes from a U.S. News & World Report article — published around 1958. Its similarity to today’s headlines is uncanny. And it provides an insight into the history surrounding Venezuela’s situation and America’s fears.

In Latin America, the memory of American policy toward Chile in the 1970s (read declassified documents, listen to White House audio tapes) looms large. Wary of the Chilean precedent, the Chávez administration launched a comprehensive public diplomacy campaign to clarify its position to policymakers, increase awareness and support among the American public, and “stop U.S. intervention in Venezuela before it’s too late.”

This case study examines Venezuelan public diplomacy activities targeting the United States in the summer of 2004, starting in June and ending in August, just after the Venezuelan presidential referendum.

1. Anonymous. (circa 1958). Report on Venezuela, pp.28-29. New York: John A. Clements Associates.