Democracy and revolution

Latin America and socialism today

D.L. Raby, Pluto, 296 pages, paperback, £15.00

This is a well documented book with a definite message - that "Cuba and especially Venezuela represent the real revolutionary alternative of our times."

Raby describes Cuba as "a beacon of hope" and as "an extraordinary, indeed priceless example" for those who seek an alternative to neo-liberal capitalism.

However the real subject is Venezuela, which the author says is "the first successful popular and anti-capitalist revolution since the fall of the Soviet bloc", and one which is "so profoundly democratic, open and original, it offers hope to a degree unimaginable even five or six years ago".