"Yankee go home !", says President Hugo Chavez, at his usual game of insulting the United States. Chavez has been on the war path since an announced US troop increase in Colombia to combat drug trafficking. In fact, Latin America's socialist leader has been on the defensive since his ally Manuel Zelaya was ousted from Honduras.

“For ten years the United States has followed the Colombia plan,” says American lawyer and Chavez advisor Eva Gollinger. “They [the US] are using the fight against drug trafficking to justify a military presence in the region and to maintain a certain degree of military control in Latin America.”

To contain what he calls the "Yankee threat," Chavez is seeking outside support from Iran, China, and Russia. His socialist reforms in Venezuela have been widely criticised: one government seizure after another, new legislation for egalitarian education, plus media repression resulting in the closure of almost 30 radio and television stations, not to mention repeated threats against Globovision TV. All this has caused indignation.

“The president loves war – war against the media. He talks about the smell of war and of war against Colombia," says Globovision director Alberto Ravel. "But the war President Chavez should engage in is against delinquency – the war against corruption, against hunger, against inflation, and against daily hardships. Of course, some media outlets like us are very critical of President Chavez. But this is no reason to call us little Yankees, CIA agents, or to say we have ties to imperialism.”

Almost every weekend, anti-Chavez demonstrators march against a man they refer to as a dictator. But the crowds are not limited to upper-class citizens. Some people from poor regions are disappointed with Chavez’s term in office. Reduced safety, higher costs of living and corruption have caused growing anger.

“We don't want Chavez anymore," declares anti-Chavez militant Jesus Vasquez. "We want to throw him out of the country because he wants to turn us into slaves.”

But you will always find a wave of red in the streets of Caracas. People remain fascinated by their country's uncontested leader. A recent march in support of Chavez left from poor neighbourhoods in the western part of the capital – an intentional and symbolic departure point. In contrast, the march of the opposition departed from the wealthier eastern district. Class struggle threatens to end in confrontation on any given weekend.

“We want a peaceful revolution, we want zero war and zero colonial imperialism,” says pro-Chavez militant Jorge Casanova. “We are socialists and all we want is world peace.”

Chavez is an omnipresent president, watching from every corner. He has workers in the factories – workers who are at the front of the Bolivarian Revolution. The regime has gone left (to the extreme left many claim) but public support remains strong. A recent survey by Dataanalysis, a private institution famous for its objectivity, reveals that 57% of Venezuelans approve of Chavez's politics.

Political scientist and Dataanalysis director Luis Vicente Leon explains this phenomenon. “Actually, this isn't to say that everybody agrees with the heart of Chavez's politics. They agree with Chavez, but they are not in favour of expropriation. They agree with Chavez, but not with communism. They agree with Chavez, but they don't want to lose what is theirs. They agree with Chavez, but not with the end of private property – the end of private radios and television. What does this mean? It means that Chavez has to create false discourse to keep people happy. But how long can he keep that up?”

What's worse for those who hate Chavez, the president has become a star outside the country – a star that attracts other stars. Benicio del Toro, the actor from the Steven Soderbergh movie Che, accepted an invitation to visit the presidential palace. Actor Sean Penn and director Oliver Stone have also paid visits. Hugo Chavez is a political beast who, in the last ten years, has grown into a historical figure.

For many Venezuelans, Chavez's rule is like a movie. After his 10 years in power, some are nervously waiting for the final credits to roll. But others are hoping for a sequel, given the possibility for re-election in 2012.