Yoshie:
Regarding comparison of Iran and Venezuela, Hugo Chavez doesn't agree with you, nor would researchers who do comparative work on political economy (it's hard to find any other pair of countries whose assets are more similar to each other than Iran and Venezuela).
Hugo Chavez doesn't agree with me on what? That Tehran bus drivers should be picked up in the middle of the night and thrown in prison for trying to win higher wages?
See Greg Wilpert's 2005 report on Venezuela's land reform below -- many of the problems identified in it have not been effectively addressed. What Venezuela can learn from Iran includes infrastructure investment and support programs (ranging from education, research, credit, insurance, distribution of seeds, guaranteed prices, etc. -- see <ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/meeting/010/ag355e.pdf>), without which land reforms are not as effective as they can be. I'm sure Chavez and his comrades are open to learning from other countries' experiences.
I guess that your evasion of my points on the "White Revolution" land reform are to be expected. Not only are you addicted to having the last word, you are also as skilled as Dick Cheney in ducking and weaving. -- www.marxmail.org
