Where were you on April 11, 2002? I was just getting on an airplane to Buenos Aires, Argentina to check out the crisis in that country. But I knew I would be flying over another nation – Venezuela – that was in an even more acute crisis, a military coup against Venezuelan President, Hugo Chavez. I hated the guy even then and found myself pleased that it was his time to go.

By the time I landed, I got out of the plane and heard the news that Chavez was back and the coup attempt against him had failed. I didn’t want to believe it. Then a day or two later, Venezuela’s government had accused the U.S. of complicity in the coup, something I didn’t particularly believe, and still don’t believe, although I am sure the U.S. knew something was going on, given the widespread popular loathing for Chavez all through Venezuelan society.

Over lunch with a prominent Buenos Aires banker, I was told that most of the banker’s pals had expressed dismay at the news that the U.S. was supposedly complicit in the Chavez coup attempt. “Why didn’t they intervene here instead?” was the plaintive cry. How very sad to long for a CIA coup in one’s own country … and sadder still, not to get it.

Jorge Arena at The Devil’s Excrement has a big blogger roundup of all the April 11 posts on Venezuela’s coup here.

UPDATE: Daniel in the Venezuelan jungle has a very good new item on where he was and how he saw things on this must-read post here.