Venezuela and the Collective Defence of Democracy Regime in the Americas

Abstract

Venezuela has been racked by several years of intense political conflict marked by frequent, massive demonstrations, crippling national strikes and an attempted military coup. Perhaps surprisingly, Venezuelan democracy has been sustained in the face of these challenges and conflicts between supporters and opponents of President Hugo Chávez are increasingly played out through constitutional democratic means. The Organization of American States' (OAS) collective defence of democracy regime has played an important role in maintaining Venezuelan democracy in the face of these intractable conflicts. The OAS regime has been built on the collective interests of elected presidents in weakly institutionalized democracies, the deepening integration of the region's states into the global economy, and the increasingly liberal foreign policy of the regional hegemon. Oil wealth has limited Venezuela's vulnerability to economic sanctions if Venezuelan actors transgressed the norms of the regime, and the US's initial reluctance to condemn the April 2002 coup called into question whether the US would continue to use its influence to support democratic rule in the hemisphere. Nevertheless, the elected leaders of the region condemned the coup attempt, a regional reaction that played some role in the restoration of President Chávez. The subsequent OAS mediation effort has helped keep the ongoing political competition in Venezuela within constitutional bounds, demonstrating that the OAS collective defence of democracy continues to play a useful role in sustaining democracy in the region.