The following Letter to the Editor was submitted to the Washington Post:

The Washington Post is right to call attention to the ever-more frightening “democracy” of Venezuela. (Wrong Subject: It is easier to demand concessions for Cuba than to defend Venezuelan democracy 4/16/09).

It is astonishing that the dictator-disguised-as-democratic leader Hugo Chavez continues unchecked in his quest for power.

A major focus of the Summit of the Americas, where I am representing B’nai B’rith International, is combating discrimination and poverty – two issues of major concern in Venezuela. With our long-standing and vast reach in Latin America, B’nai B’rith has been monitoring Chavez as he successfully cultivates a culture of fear and unease.

Chavez is using Cuba to divert attention from the very real threat he poses to democracy in Venezuela.

The Summit of the Americas offers a critical opportunity for nations to collaborate on the challenges and threats facing the hemisphere. More and more, it seems, one of the bigger threats is from within.

Moishe Smith
President, B’nai B’rith International