Washington Agency Creates Neoliberal University in Venezuela
A United States institution linked to security and defense agencies in Washington, D.C. has established a program in Venezuela to train youth in the principles of "individual liberty, free markets, and limited governments."
Called the "El Cato-CEDICE University" (see: http://www.elcato.org/special/cato-univ-venezuela/lunes.html), it is a combined initiative of the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C. and the Venezuelan organization, Center for the Dissemination of Economic Knowledge for Freedom (CEDICE). It also has the support of Venezuelan organizations including the Future Present Foundation, which was created by Yon Goicochea, a leader of the Justice First political party; National Unity, the coalition of opposition political parties created in 2008; and New Bases, the opposition student movement of the Metropolitan University.
The El Cato-CEDICE University is planning a seminar that will last three days, from Sunday May 24 to Tuesday May 26, 2009. The headquarters of this subversive event is the La Escondida ranch, one hour from Caracas. The participation fee is 150BsF (US$ 70). According to the material published by the Cato Institute, the event will cover themes such as "the new global agenda, the world financial crisis, populism in Latin America, youth as defenders of freedom, poverty and violence, rights to property, the challenges of institutions in the 21st century, among others."
The "teachers" at the El Cato-CEDICE University include Gabriela Calderon, editor of the website ‘elcato.org' and columnist for the rightwing newspaper El Universo in Ecuador; Daniel Cordova, dean of the Economics Department at the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences and also director of Pro-Capital Investment Project, an NGO financed by the United States; Otto Guevara, a Costa Rican politician and president of the party Free Movement and the Liberal Network of Latin America (RELIAL); Martin Krause, lecturer in the Higher School of Economics and Business Administration in Buenos Aires; Carlos Sabino from the Center for Global Prosperity of the Independent Institute in the U.S.; Jose Toro Hardy, Venezuelan economist for CEDICE; Alvaro Vargas Llosa from the Center for Global Prosperity of the Independent Institute in the U.S and a columnist for the Washington Post; and Yon Goicochea, a leader of the Justice First party and founder of the Future Present Foundation, an organization dedicated to training youth in the tactics of "gradual coup"[1] and subversion.
The seminar has scheduled conferences by the guest lecturers around themes such as "Economic Freedom and Human Progress", given by Jose Toro Hardy, "Promoting Ideas in Non-Free Countries" by the Ecuadorian Gabriela Calderon, and "Liberalism in the Political Arena" by the Costa Rican Otto Guevara, among others.
The Cato Institute is the entity which granted the "Milton Friedman Prize" to the leader of Justice First, Yon Goicochea, in 2008. As part of this recognition by one of the most ultra-conservative and neo-fascist institutions of the United States, Goicochea received US$ 500,000, part of which he used to create his Future Present Foundation. The Cato Institute was founded on the economic theories of the ultra-liberal Milton Friedman of the U.S., who was economic advisor to the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet. This institute also served to promote the conservative ideology of the 80s promoted by Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and the group of the "Chicago Boys" who later implemented these policies in Latin American, causing a lot of misery and poverty and less progress and human prosperity. The Cato Institute is closely linked with the Military Industrial Complex and the security and defense agencies in Washington.
CEDICE is one of the organizations that have received the most financing from the agencies in Washington over the last 8 years, like [National Endowment for Democracy] NED, [U.S. Agency for International Development] USAID, and the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), an entity of the State Department. Its director, Rocio Guijarra, signed the infamous Carmona Decree during the coup d'etat of April 2002 against the Venezuelan government, which resulted in the dissolution of the democratic institutions of Venezuela.
The fact that this "university" is opening its doors within Venezuelan territory is an indication of the destabilizing and subversive actions that the radical sectors of the opposition in Venezuela continue to conduct. The general population and the state security bodies should be alarmed that these foreign actors have come to this country to train a group of 50 young people in neoliberal doctrines and strategies of subversion. These organizations aren't filled with good intentions, but rather they are groups and political figures who have shown over the last few years that their principal objective is to other throw the revolutionary socialist government of President Hugo Chavez and implement a neoliberal-capitalist system in the country, subordinated to the interests of Washington.
In the past, leaders of the opposition like Yon Goicochea, have traveled overseas, financed by Washington agencies, to receive training and indoctrination in strategies of subversion and "gradual coup" tactics. Now, they want to give these workshops on Venezuelan soil, with the intention of capturing and recruiting Venezuelan youth to execute their undemocratic and ill-fated plans. This initiative is in addition to the dozen United States and European organizations and foundations such as USAID, NED, Freedom House, the International Republic Institute (IRI), the National Democratic Institute (NDI), the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (German), the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Foundation (German), FOCAL (Canadian), that have financed political parties and NGOs of the opposition with over $50 million over the last 8 years, promoting their actions of destabilization. The state security bodies should take appropriate actions to impede these foreign agencies from continuing to threaten the stability and progress of the country. And even less should they allow them to act in this manner on Venezuelan territory.
[1] Gradual coup, or golpe suave in Spanish, is the idea of incremental acts of sabotage, fear mongering, and media warfare to obstruct the government's policies.
Translated by Tamara Pearson
what the hell???
This organization needs to be shut down immediately. If not, hopefully some brave and patriotic Venezuelans will do it themselves....
Civil Liberties
Please Ms Golinger and Mr Idaho (of Dune), calm down.
If the Venezuelans want to set up a school for 21st Century Socialism here in California, I would love to attend. Lots of Republicans, of course, will call it subversive and will want it shut down. But according to our concept of civil liberties, often violated I know, neither the school, teachers nor students can be molested or prosecuted until they COMMIT A CRIME. Why can't it be the same in Venezuela?
Yes, I know, the US is much stronger than Venezuela, and more dangerous, and has and likely will support a coup. But it is still better not to shut down schools preemptively. Argue with them, and watch them carefully. Both are better politics than a blanket repression. First, argument may often win people over, which creates a propaganda coup. And second, if they are detected in criminal activities or plans, the publicity of exposure is more useful than if they were shut down in the beginning.
20th Century so called "socialism" silenced a lot of people. Let's hope that the 21st Century variety will not fall into the same pattern, and will depend more on persuasion.
@Laurence
Do you really believe the United Snakes' government would allow Venezuela to open a "Socialism" University in Berkeley???
While it is true that by leaving these cancerous entities in place allows you the opportunity to spy on them - learning their methods and who is involved - the Venezuelan Secret Service is simply no match for the multi-tens of billions of dollars financed US spy agencies with 50 years of counter-revolutionary experience.
It's easy for countries like Russia to allow such NGO's in their state, but Russia has the world's oldest continuously operating secret service, the GRU at 100 years, to keep these cancer cells in check, and can kick them out with impunity any time they please.
How do you think the military/industrial/espionage complex managed the silent coup d'etat of the US? Exactly by infiltrating your most respected educational institutions - Harvard, MIT, USC, etc. They use them to recruit professors and students alike so that only those "acceptable" to the elite power structure, who can tow the party line, are promoted through the old boy network to positions of power in commerce and the media.
During the 60's almost the entire editorial staff of NYT was in the CIA's employ, as well as many journalists. Look at the NYT today and tell me anything has changed?! Turn on CNN on any night or on the Sunday talk shows and you will see BATTALIONS of "analysts" and "specialists" from CATO, Heritage, JINSA, AIPAC - all the lunatic fringe warmongers and Israel-firsters paraded one after the other in the so-called Mainstream Media. Their control of it is complete and dissent is not possible.
Here in Canada (Toronto) we're right behind you: the Coup is in it's last terminal stage here. That's why I'm moving in 4-5 years to, you guessed it, Venezuela - provided things don't go awry.
So mister
So mister Lawrence,
concerning Russia, it´s still the president who runs things?
Because he rules the land with the help of the secret service.
How did Russia survive the Yeltsin years?
But I think eventually Russia will be destroyed by these
internal enemies... they just want a sunny place in the
New World Order. If it wasn´t for Putin, America would have access to Russian oil, though.
However, maybe Russia will resist... the US can´t pick a fight with a force that has ICBM, that can destroy the US easily.
I simply wonder how Chavez has survived that all!
He´s formed a Union (ALBA) and they´ll have a bank of the south soon? Just amazes me. I personally would move to Russia because it´s the only place, that can be considered safe- for some time,
at least.
Russia is on my list as well.
But my savings will go much further in Caracas or Margarita than they would in Moscow or St. Petersburg.
Both Russia and Venezuela be around long after the United Snakes' empire is liquidated.
If the Venezuelans want to
If the Venezuelans want to set up a school for 21st Century Socialism here in California, I would love to attend. Lots of Republicans, of course, will call it subversive and will want it shut down. But according to our concept of civil liberties, often violated I know, neither the school, teachers nor students can be molested or prosecuted until they COMMIT A CRIME. Why can't it be the same in Venezuela?
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