Increasingly, I am turning to Al Jazeera as my primary TV news source when traveling abroad.  While the quality of the news is similar to the BBC (I gave up on CNN as 90% fluff long ago), Al Jazeera is much more engaging, in my opinion.  In addition, I am deeply impressed with its global reach.  It is far more than a regional network.  For example, I am currently watching an in-depth discussion about Zimbabwe.  The last time I was away (a few weeks ago), I saw a documentary on Hugo Chavez’s crackdown on the media in Venezuela.

Update:

Al Jazeera just ran a story on Hugo Chavez’s trip to Russia that I referenced in a recent post.  During the trip, Chavez secured a $2.2 billion line of credit for weapons purchases.  According to Al Jazeera, Venezuela needs the weapons because Chavez fears the US is going to invade it to seize its oil.

Best friends forever?

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is taking a tour of the world’s autocracies.  Over the past 11 days, he has visited Russia, Iran, Syria, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Libya, and Algeria.  While Venezuela is still nominally (barely?) a democracy, Chavez seems intent on building his authoritarian bona fides. His trip to Russia was particularly productive as he secured a $2.2 billion line of credit for weapons purchases and an agreement to jointly develop oil fields and nuclear energy.