At the United Nations, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez slammed the United States for its military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as its support for Israel's invasion of Lebanon. Chavez described President Bush as the 'devil' and predicted the 'U.S. empire' would fall. He also called for major reforms at the United Nations. We play an extended excerpt of the address and speak with Latin American History professor, Greg Grandin. [includes rush transcript]

At the United Nations on Wednesday, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez slammed US foreign policy and described President Bush as the 'devil.'

• President Hugo Chavez, speaking at the UN General Assembly, September 20, 2006.

Chavez was standing at the lectern where President Bush had delivered his speech the day before. The Venezuelan president went on to criticize US foreign policies and renewed his calls for major reforms at the United Nations to reduce US influence and the other permanent members of the Security Council.

At the beginning of his speech, Chavez held up a copy of the book, "Hegemony or Survival" by MIT professor Noam Chomsky and addressed the packed chamber.

• President Hugo Chavez, speaking at the UN General Assembly, September 20. [Full transcript]

His address was greeted with warm applause by many diplomats in the chamber. No senior members of the US delegation were in attendance. A White House spokesman later said that Chavez's performance did not merit comment. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the address was "not becoming of a head of state."

Chavez went on to call for drastic reform of the United Nations, specifically at the Security Council. Venezuela has been pressing to a get a seat on the 15-member Council when a vote is held in October. The move is strongly opposed by the U.S., which is backing Guatemala.

• Greg Grandin, professor of Latin American history at New York University and author of "Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism."