USAID: Transition Initiatives: Venezuela Field Report for April-June 2006

"The antagonistic relationship between the U.S. Government (USG) and the Government of Venezuela (GoV) is a challenge for operations in Venezuela. The primary objective in this environment is to develop projects that bring together supporters of the opposition whose constant public discourse brands anything to do with the U.S. as malevolent and anti-Venezuelan. As an example, part of the official government electoral strategy for the December presidential election calls for government supporters to publicly label those in the opposition as 'bushistas.'

President Chavez continues to rail against the 'Empire' for its 'invasion plans' and 'assassination plots,' all of which the Embassy vigorously denies. Visits by the U.S. Ambassador to the inauguration of new USAID-supported project sites in Caracas and the interior are frequently accompanied by crowds of protestors. The projects, however, are well-received by the community and community leaders - those not prodded by the government -- who often request additional USAID projects in the neglected neighborhoods in Venezuela."