Exporting the Chavista Model: The Venezuelan Case for Autocracy Promotion in the Region

Abstract

President Hugo Chávez strove to change the socio-political and economic system of his country, Venezuela. His revolutionary mission implied a strong regional projection and was intended to disseminate his transformative project in the wider region. This article focuses on the outward-directed efforts of Chávez to shape his regional environment and examines the active and intended promotion of the Chavista model. The analysis shows that Chávez's mission was guided by four objectives: gaining ideological protagonism, facilitating the installation of like-minded leaders, bolstering their persistence in power, and exporting his ‘alternative’ model of rule.