But culling the herd is slow and difficult, partly because state franchise laws protect the country's 21, 640 car dealers (who exert much political power in state legislatures).

FORBES: Magazine Article

The reality is that Chavez has designed a model of "totalitarian democracy" where he has used state resources to gain political power at the expense of civil society and where petro-dollars have allowed him to buy the hearts and votes of people who have chosen to ignore the fact that they have less representation, less dignity, and fewer rights.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Civil disobedience, Chavez, and democracy

The problem is the Indonesian army, an army that has become a state within a state, with enormous privileges, political power and economic power.

CNN: It's the Army, Stupid