Venezuela, Under duress at home, Chavez makes nice abroad

Hugo Chávez went on the offensive in Caracas following his party’s poor election showing this fall, pushing through a slate of measures that amounted to a sustained political power grab ahead of the swearing-in of the new Parliament last week. On the international scene, though, the famously combative president has been striking an unusually conciliatory tone. Chávez created a pleasant New Year’s photo-op by smiling and playing nice with Hillary Clinton in Brazil, then suggested that Venezuela would welcome a new U.S. ambassador (he rejected the most recent nominee in September). Read Article