Crude diplomacy

Venezuela: Hugo Chavez’s oil programs are popular, but his missteps are starting to hurt him | Priya Abraham

High maritime winds make daunting winters in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. The chain spans 1,200 miles, arcing out to the western-most point of the United States. In the fall, islanders have to wait for mainland winter oil deliveries by air and barge, and this year one village had to evacuate temporarily when it ran out of fuel before they arrived. Still, when islanders got an offer for discounted heating oil, they turned it down.

That's because the oil was a gift from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez via CITGO, the U.S subsidiary of the country's state-owned oil company. At first, the Aleutians liked the offer to four of their communities: 100 gallons of heating oil per household. But tribal leaders decided they did not like Chavez's anti-American tirades—particularly the one at the United Nations in September where he called President Bush the devil.