Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez multi-polar gambit risks popular support

As Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez readies himself to receive an honorary diploma from Tripoli's Academy of Higher Education Saturday – one day after meeting with Libyan President Moamer Gaddafi to strategize their “South-South front” against American imperialism, one senses palpable cringing emanating from Chavez supporters (or, at least those few remaining supporters with relatively intact moral faculties).

Because many who do see the potential positive within Chavez as a champion of the small progressive nation-state and as a leader of 21st century leftist socialism, are at the same time disappointed by his chronic misjudgments and the shady alliances he has recently forged and/or continues to strengthen.

Yet, Chavez does have a method to much of his madness, illustrated by the efficacy of his anti-Western encirclement strategy to rally about the “non-aligned”,