David Smilde

David Smilde

David Smilde is a WOLA Senior Fellow and the Charles A. and Leo M. Favrot Professor of Human Relations at Tulane University. He founded the WOLA Venezuela Politics and Human Rights blog and curated it from 2012-2020. He has lived in or worked on Venezuela since 1992, and has researched Venezuela for the past 30 years. He has taught at the Universidad Central de Venezuela and the Universidad Católica Ándres Bello. He is currently working on a book manuscript called Venezuela’s Transition to Illiberalism: Hugo Chávez and 21st Century Socialism, 2007-2012.

Another Transition

After eight amazing, humbling and exhausting years of curating Venezuelan Politics and Human Rights, I will be handing the reins over to Geoff Ramsey next week. This change will coincide with a relaunch of the blog on July 14, with a better interface and more types of...

A call from Venezuelan organizations in France seeking international solidarity to face the coronavirus crisis in Venezuela

On April 24, fourteen Venezuelan organizations in France launched a call to solidarity for the fight against coronavirus in Venezuela. Our call was supported by more than 400 signatures from the civil society, academic, and humanitarian sectors in France, Venezuela, and other countries in the European and American continents.