How long until he changes his country’s name to “Chavezuela”?

Today on National Review Online, I contribute to a symposium on Hugo Chavez.

There is little the United States can do about Hugo Chavez’s undermining of democracy in Venezuela. As long as high oil prices keep subsidizing his regime, he can survive. However, there is something that can be done to counter Chavez’s efforts to throw his weight around Latin America: Improve ties with allies in the region by ratifying free-trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and Peru.