The defense of the revolution in civilian hands: security devices in Venezuela and Cuba

Abstract

The ties between the Cuban revolution and the Bolivarian revolution are undeniable. The friendship and mutual admiration that Hugo Chávez and Fidel Castro professed for each other are just a sample of the connection that materialized in medical brigades, military instructions, and immersion of Cubans in key issues of the Venezuelan State. Some scholars have even applied the term "Cubazuela" (Blanco, Cartaya, Domínguez, and Ocando, 2019) to explain the way in which Cuba has exercised and continues to exercise control over Venezuelan politics and economy. The idea that Nicolás Maduro's regime survives because for Cuban leaders and the powers that control the legal and illegal economies it would be unthinkable that it would end, and with it, their privileges would be lost, is a thesis that has taken hold in recent times.