Regardless of anything else that one may wish to say about Hugo Chávez, President of Venezuela, there can be no doubt that he is a master of drawing attention to himself in a way that bolsters his own political capital. While his exact ideology is somewhat murky, he style is populistic. Indeed, he has brought a 21st Century twist to populistic politics by focusing both on his own national audience as well as to an international audience, especially regionally in the Americas.

There have been modern figures in the region whose appeals have transcended state borders, such as Fidel Castro and Che Guevarra, but none have cultivated that appeal in the PR-oriented way that Chávez has. Further, while Castro clearly sought a leadership role in the region as the father of revolution in the region, the constraints of the Cold War (and even after) meant that he could not operate as a mainstream regional leader in the same way that Chávez has done. Further, Venezuela’s national wealth makes the leader of that state rather different than the leader of Cuba. Another different element here is that Chávez’s regional popularity campaign is a tool to help further consolidate his power back home–a motivation that Castro did not have to worry about.

An example of the Chávez brand of regional populism was an anti-Bush rally that he headlined in Bueons Aires, Argentina. Via the BBC:

It was the kind of situation that the Venezuelan leader, Hugo Chavez, loves - 40,000 flag-waving supporters joining him in hurling insults at the US President, George W Bush.

He was at a football stadium in the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, leading what he called an anti-imperialist rally to coincide with Mr Bush’s arrival in neighbouring Uruguay.

Most of the crowd were members of trade unions, left-wing and human rights organisations, those who already supported Mr Chavez and what he calls his brand of socialism for the 21st Century.

It is very smart politics. For one thing Chávez is using the Bush visit as a vehicle to draw attention to himself, knowing full well that he will get international coverage. Further, it gives him the chance to appear before a huge, friendly audience while Bush faces mixed receptions wherever he goes. It creates a set of media images that are quite beneficial for Chávez.

The NYT version of the story (Bush and Chávez Spar at Distance Over Latin Visit notes:

President Bush began the first full day of his weeklong trip to Latin America here on Friday promising job-creating aid but ended up competing for attention with President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, who called the American visit an act of imperialism, adding, “Gringo, go home!”

[…]

“The Bush plan is ridiculous,” Mr. Chávez said at the gathering in Buenos Aires, across the Río de la Plata from Montevideo, Uruguay, Mr. Bush’s next stop. “He thinks he is Columbus, discovering poverty after seven years in power.”

The Columbus reference was no accident, and certainly was not meant to be a positive one, regardless of the comments about poverty itself.

The piece continues:

At the rally Friday night, Mr. Chávez said he had watched Mr. Bush on television in Brazil and concluded that “he is afraid to say my name” because Mr. Chávez’s vision of “21st century socialism” is advancing in the region.

“Iraq, Iraq, Iraq, terrorism, security, Iraq, Iraq, Iraq,” he said mockingly. “He seems incapable of developing even a single idea.”

In spite of the Chávez avoidance, though, Mr. Bush’s trip seemed intended to counter the Venezuelan’s anti-American message, signs of which have been visible everywhere.

I sincerely wonder if Chávez knows what “21st century socialism” means aside from staying in power and spending a lot of oil revenue (both at home and abroad) to do so. Further, one wonders what happens to the model if oil prices recede.

Technorati tags: Latin America, George Bush, Hugo Chavez