"Finding a moment in the history of U.S.-Venezuelan relations when tensions between the two countries have been worse than at the present time July 2005 is difficult. Some in the U.S. Government perceive President Hugo Chavez Frias as uncooperative regarding U.S. regional policies on counternarcotics, free trade, and support for democracy...Since he was elected president in 1998, Chavez has transformed Venezuelan Government and society in what he has termed a Bolivarian revolution. Based on Chavez's interpretation of the thinking of Venezuelan founding fathers Simon Bolivar and Simon Rodriguez, this revolution brings together a set of ideas that justifies a populist and sometimes authoritarian approach to government, the integration of the military into domestic politics, and a focus on using the state's resources to serve the poor--the president's main constituency...These policies consolidated Chavez's domestic authority but generated a great deal of opposition in Venezuela, including a failed coup attempt in 2002." (Military Review) Aspects of Venezuela's "Bolivarian Revolution" are defined.