ABSTRACT
T He 1990S Were Difficult Years For Relations Between The United States and Venezuela, despite the long period of tranquility that had preceded them. At the same time that the United States turned to the standardization of its foreign policy, Venezuela began to suffer profound changes in its domestic system that would also tend to alter its view of its international position. As a result of the political instability of the nineties, everything came under question, including foreign policy in its widest sense. Venezuela repeatedly questioned the validity of what it perceived as the American model of the global economy. By the time of the election of President Hugo Chávez at the end of 1998, it seemed that the population was ready to authorize Chávez to turn policy on its head in every area, from social policy to foreign policy. Inevitably, tensions would arise, particularly on the political front, as Venezuela made efforts to carve out a fresh position and prove that things would indeed be different.
