Leak reveals Bush administration’s strategy for undermining Chávez
▻http://thehill.com/blogs/global-affairs/americas/292131-leaked-cable-reveals-bush-administrations-strategy-for-undermining-c
WikiLeaks on Friday released a 2006 State Department cable detailing the Bush administration’s strategy for undermining Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez by supporting alleged pro-democracy groups.
The cable, signed by then-Ambassador William Brownfield, outlines a five-point strategy that includes “penetrating Chavez’s political base,” “dividing Chavismo,” “protecting vital U.S. business” and “isolating Chavez internationally.” Those goals are to be obtained by strengthening “democratic institutions,” according to the cable.
[…] Strengthening democratic institutions, he wrote, “represents the majority of USAID/OTI work in Venezuela.
[…]
The cable is all but certain to rekindle criticism of U.S. support for civil society groups in foreign countries with limited democratic freedom, notably Russia, which has been cracking down on nongovernmental organizations. The cable was first reported by Russia Today, a Kremlin-funded media organization.
