Where Hugo I'm not going

Hugo Chavez' death, while not unexpected, caused quite a furor last week. Typical questions included 'What future for Chavismo?', 'Who is the heir apparent?', 'What did Chavez mean for Latin America?'.

With that question in mind, here is something I wrote with Francisco Javier Diaz for the Policy Network in London. It is the English version of a column I wrote last week in La Tercera.

On balance, Chavez was not a good thing. But it would be irresponsible not to recognize the causes which led to his rise in Venezuela, and the conditions around the world which make his type of politics attractive for alienated voters and desperate politicians.

While Chavismo may or may not survive Chavez, elements such as populism, personalism, resource-exploitation and anti-Americanism will be with us for a while I'm afraid.