Hugo Chavez and President Bush's Credibility Gap: The Struggle Against US Democracy Promotion
| Author | N. Scott Cole |
| DOI | 10.1177/0192512107079637 |
| Published date | 01 September 2007 |
| Date | 01 September 2007 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Cole: Hugo Chavez and President Bush’s Credibility Gap 493
International Political Science Review (2007), Vol. 28, No. 4, 493–507
DOI: 10.1177/0192512107079637 © 2007 International Political Science Association
Sage Publications (Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, and Singapore)
Hugo Chavez and President Bush’s
Credibility Gap: The Struggle Against
US Democracy Promotion
N. Scott Cole
Abstract. US President George W. Bush confronts a problem as he tries
to promote global democracy. When he speaks about spreading freedom,
many academics, world leaders, and media pundits respond that he is
trying to bolster the USA’s global inf‌l uence. This article explores Bush’s
“credibility gap.” It focuses on President Bush’s democracy assistance
in Venezuela and how it reinforces the notion that he has a legitimacy
problem. This study also identif‌i es how President Hugo Chavez has
helped widen Bush’s credibility gap. Finally, by using Venezuela as a case
study, this article shows that Bush’s lack of legitimacy limits his ability
to spread democracy.
Keywords: • Hugo Chavez • George W. Bush • Democracy promotion
• Credibility gap
Introduction
As he pursues his vision of global democracy, US President George W. Bush
confronts a “credibility gap.” The credibility gap is the disparity between Bush’s
stated desire to end tyranny in the 21st century and the perspective held by some
academics, world leaders, and media pundits that the president is not interested
in spreading freedom. Critics of the administration’s policy portray his democracy
promotion as an attempt to bolster the USA’s global inf‌l uence. This article explores
Bush’s legitimacy problem by focusing on how his critics have interpreted his
democracy assistance in Venezuela. Furthermore, it examines the role that Hugo
Chavez has played in the construction of the administration’s credibility gap.
Bush’s actions are not solely responsible for creating this impression.
To date, little evidence exists to demonstrate that President Bush has been
able to export freedom. More democracies have not emerged as a result of his
policies, and there are signs that authoritarian governments are gaining strength
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