The Chavez administration has evolved from an initially moderate position advocating Blair’s model of ‘Third Way Socialism’, to the more radical agenda of ‘Twenty First Century Socialism’. Dr. Julia Buxton will discusses the drivers of this radicalisation, and critically explore the agenda, policies and ideology behind it. She will address the ‘dictatorship’ criticisms, and outline how the Chavez government believes that it is crafting a radical model of participatory democracy, and the initiatives intended to give this vision institutional form. Julia is a widely published expert on South American politics, and is currently Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for International Cooperation and Security at Bradford University.