Populism in the making of an integrative foreign policy: the case of Venezuela by Hugo Chávez (1999-2013)

Abstract

A concept of populism is quite controversial. One strand understands the phenomenon as the adoption of personalist and centralist positions, creating a direct communication channel between leader and people. These regimes permeate the history of Latin American countries, such as Venezuela by Hugo Chávez in 1999. A central question in this work: how would Chávez use his populist domestic project to support an integrating foreign policy in Latin America? The purpose of this article is to understand the extent to which practices such as state control of strategic activities and the creation of regional integration schemes - based on Chávez's personalist populism - to shape the identity of Venezuelan foreign policy. To this end, the qualitative bibliographic methodology was used, including articles from qualified newspapers in Portuguese, English and Spanish. From the theoretical point of view, Constructivism and Foreign Policy Analysis will also be fundamental elements for the achievement of the objectives proposed in each chapter. Preliminarily, the literature points out that Chávez's populism - sustained, notably, by the rise of oil exports and the support shown by the Venezuelan population - made closer ties possible (ideological and political) with neighbors, such as Bolivia, Ecuador and Cuba, giving rise to more autonomous regional development strategies to the detriment of neoliberal premises  It is concluded that the Chávez government, however, neither expand its partnerships in the region in an  uniform manner, nor managed to eradicate Venezuelan economic disparities.