Hugo Chavez, whose 14-year tenure as president of Venezuela was marked by anti-U.S. rhetoric, tight control of the country's massive oil wealth and a populist approach to national politics, has died after a long battle with cancer. UCLA has experts.

 

Raúl Hinojosa-Ojeda, an associate professor in UCLA's César E. Chávez Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, specializes in Latin American politics, international political economy and U.S.–Latin American relations.

Media contact:

Ricardo Vazquez | 310-206-3986 | rvazquez@support.ucla.edu

 

Mark Sawyer, professor of political science and African American studies and director of the UCLA Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Politics, writes and teaches on the social forces that shape Latin American politics, as well as the role of the United States in Latin American regional disputes. He is the author of "Racial Politics in Post-Revolutionary Cuba."

Media contacts:

Ricardo Vazquez | 310-206-3986 | rvazquez@support.ucla.edu

Meg Sullivan | 310-825-1046 | msullivan@support.ucla.edu

 

Robin Derby, assistant professor of history, is an expert on Latin American history, including Latin American political regimes, authoritarianism and U.S. imperialism.

Media contacts:

Ricardo Vazquez | 310-206-3986 | rvazquez@support.ucla.edu

Meg Sullivan | 310-825-1046 | msullivan@support.ucla.edu

 

Michael Ross, professor of political science, studies issues releated to political economy, natural resources, civil war and democratization. He is the author of the new book "The Oil Curse: How Petroleum Wealth Shapes the Development of Nations," which examines the ways in which oil riches can make nations more prone to dictatorships, insurgencies, and economic and gender disparities. Ross also directs UCLA's Center for Southeast Asian Studies.

Media contact:

Meg Sullivan | 310-825-1046 | msullivan@support.ucla.edu

 

Aaron Tornell, professor of economics, specializes in international economies, particularly in Europe and Latin America.

Media contact:

Meg Sullivan | 310-825-1046 | msullivan@support.ucla.edu