Hugo Chavez Frias, was born into a country harshly divided between the haves and have-nots, historically characterized by Venezuelan society. The middle child of five offspring born to struggling school teachers in the small town of Sabaneta, Chavez' difficult childhood was spent helping his family earn money to survive the daily hardships under military dictatorships that were so prevalent in 20th-century Venezuela.

Chavez was one of the lucky ones. Thanks to his adolescent athletic prowess in baseball, he was provided with a gateway into the country's exclusive military academy. He flourished in this environment, but at the same time, was deeply troubled by the graft and corruption that pervaded the military's upper ranks. He soon found himself leader of an underground movement that led to an unsuccessful 1992 coup attempt to overthrow President Carlos Andres Perez. Although considered a hero, Chavez was sentenced to prison for his central involvement.

Perez was eventually removed by impeachment and Chavez was freed from prison in 1994. Joining other soldiers in the Bolivian Revolutionary Movement soon followed and it was Chavez' deep-rooted disdain for the government's plunder of Venezuela's rich oil, gas and mineral resources for their own profit, that rang true to the country's citizens.

An eloquent and emotional speaker and supposed proponent of the common man, Chavez, in his trademark red beret, was referred to as "El Comandante" by his supporters and became a popular political figure. His 1998 bid for president was successful, and Chavez was elected as the youngest president in Venezuelan history. Radical change in the country's political structure soon followed, resulting in the disintegration of most of its democratic institutions. Easily re-elected in 2000, Chavez is evolving into the dictator that he had has so fervently reviled as a boy growing up in the Venezuelan western state of Barinas.

A brief glimpse into Chavez' history aids in understanding his dislike of the United States and our interest to have an open dialogue. Chavez is fully aware of U.S. need for his country's oil, but has repeatedly thumbed his nose at our attempts to cultivate a relationship. He has made it clear that he does not need, nor does he want the United States as an ally, and went so far as to blame the U.S for the 2001 deaths of innocent women and children in Afghanistan and most recently, conspiring with Colombian military officials

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