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| 2000, July 30 |
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| Chavez won the presidential election amid substantial protests over its validity in numerous cities. Rioting ensued and national troops were called in to quell the uprisings. Many wealthy Venezuelans were uneasy about Chavez's ties to Communist Cuba and his leftist political goals. | 1 |
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| Aug. 7–14 |
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| In an effort to rally with other OPEC nations, Chavez traveled to Libya, Iran, Iraq, and several other OPEC countries despite strong criticism from the U.S. He was the first foreign head of state to visit Iraq since the Gulf War (1991). | 2 |
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| Sept. 27–28 |
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| The leaders of many OPEC nations gathered in Caracas, Venezuela's capital. The meeting was the first of its kind since 1975. Although efforts were made to instill unity and uniformity of policy, the goals of those attending the conference—to limit petroleum production and increase oil prices worldwide—were stifled somewhat by external calls from the U.S. and the U.K. for greater production. | 3 |
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