June 3,2008:
Hugo Chavez, the president of
Venezuela, faced with growing corruption, popular unrest and uncertain loyalty
in the military, has reorganized his intelligence services. The two current
intelligence agencies will be replaced by four new ones. The Interior Ministry
will reorganize the existing DISIP (Dirección de los Servicios de Inteligencia
y Prevención, or Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention Services) into a
General Intelligence Office and a General Counterintelligence Office. DISIP
also acted like a secret police force, arresting and interrogating (often with
fatal results) "enemies of the state." This was going on before Chavez came
into power ten years ago. Although Chavez filled DISIP up with his own
loyalists, his growing paranoia has caused him to create a multiplicity of
intelligence agencies, so that the different agencies can keep an eye on each
other, as well as "enemies of the
state." To that end, the existing military intelligence agency will give up at
least a third of its personnel in order to form a military counterintelligence
agencies.
Although
Chevez was elected, and re-elected, he did so via promises to the poor that he
couldn't keep. His attempt to get the laws changed so he could be
president-for-life failed, and his popularity ratings are plummeting. Chavez
has come to see all this as an American plot to remove him from power. And
that's the official reason for the reorganization. The real reason is more
mundane. Chavez is well aware that successful police states the world over are
more effective if there are multiple security agencies. Don't put all your eggs
in one basket, so to speak. Especially if the eggs are armed and could remove
you from power if they united against the boss.