2013-05-30
Comandante - enlightening but very disturbing.
I am from the Caribbean. I witnessed the Kennedy missile crisis with Cuba in 1959/60 and have followed Fidel Castro's management of Cuba almost from the day he came to power. Poor fellow had no oil money and lived on Russia's charity.
Chavez arrived on the Venezuelan scene like whirling dervish with billions and until I read Carroll's book I was almost entirely ignorant of what has been going in Venezuela these past years. Castro the wily fox played Chavez well. Eventually sending 20,000 Cubans to help administer Venezuela. All foreign to me.
To those interested in Venezuela these past 15 years, Chavez and Castro's association and what may be the outcome, I think this book is very en lightening, but worry some for many Caribbean political leaders who have become buddies of Fidel... He is a right snake in the grass, and worse, a clever one.
The ex-bus driving President is an unknown quantity but reputedly does not have Chavez' smarts. We may well be for Comandante II in a year or two.