Hugo Chavez and the different sources of power

Whatever you think of Chavez and his now defeated package of constitutional reforms, a few things seem clear. One, it was a disastrous mistake, reminiscent of the Charlottetown referendum in Canada, to bundle so many reforms in one package. Anyone disliking a single reform strongly enough would vote against the whole package, or stay at [...]

Ideology and strategy, part 1

A memorable lesson in Latin class was about Gaius Mucius Scaevola. Scaevola, or “Lefty”, snuck into an Etruscan camp besieging Rome and was captured. He was ordered burnt to death. As a demonstration of the bravery of Romans, he placed his own right arm in the fire, letting it burn without any expression of pain. [...]