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International Clientelistic Networks: The Case of Venezuela at the United Nations General Assembly, 1999–2015

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2022

Thales Carvalho Open the ORCID record for Thales Carvalho [Opens in a new window]  and
Dawisson Belém Lopes Open the ORCID record for Dawisson Belém Lopes [Opens in a new window]
Thales Carvalho
Affiliation:
Thales Leonardo de Carvalho is a doctoral candidate at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. thalesleo1@gmail.com.
Dawisson Belém Lopes
Affiliation:
Dawisson Belém Lopes is a professor of international and comparative politics at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil. dawisson@ufmg.br.
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Abstract

This article introduces the concept of international clientelism and discusses how this diplomatic tool was employed by Venezuela under Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro as a means to get political support from several Latin American and Caribbean countries. We operationalize the concept and apply it to assess Venezuelan practices put forth in the region. We argue that the reach of Caracas’s diplomatic strategy is broader and deeper than that of simple vote-buying tactics, as it implies the promotion of structural rather than contingent ties, shielding the country against unfavorable moves in international fora. An empirical test using data for all LAC countries for the years 1999–2015 confirms that clientelistic linkages produced political support for Venezuela at the United Nations General Assembly while also moving its partners away from the United States in that institution.

Keywords

International clientelismvote buyingUnited Nations General AssemblyVenezuelaLatin America and the Caribbean
Type
Research Article
Information
Latin American Politics and Society , Volume 64 , Issue 3 , August 2022 , pp. 37 - 66
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the University of Miami

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Footnotes

Conflicts of interest: Authors Thales Leonardo de Carvalho and Dawisson Belém Lopes declare none.

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