Venezuela is broken and Libya is on fire. The Chavez government is incompetent and the Gaddafi regime may be just days away from collapse as chaos fills the streets. Rumors of Gaddafi escaping to Venezuela are unfounded. However, if two men ever deserved each other, these two fit the bill.

Chavez, in all his economic wisdom has brought on over 28% inflation and counting in addition to the Currency Market Takeover Spurs Lines for Dollars. All this wonderful news led me to search for Venezuelan ADR's (American Depository Receipts) in case I wanted to follow the market there, and make a contrarian play, or if I really wanted to get wild short something.

This post is one in a series in which more than 60 newsletter advisors share their Top Stock Picks for 2011. This special report is courtesy of TheStockAdvisors.com.

"Last year for my favorite stock pick, I recommended IMAX which more than doubled; this year I would like to recommend Siga Technologies (SIGA), which I believe offers the same kind of upside potential for 2011," says Dennis Slothower. Dennis's Top Pick in last year's report rose 99%.

The editor of Stealth Stocks explains, "Siga is a bio-defense company. In 2004, the U.S. started an initiative called Project BioShield, which gave the government the right to purchase and stockpile vaccines and drugs to fight anthrax, smallpox and other potential agents of bio-terror.

"Aerospace & defense contractor General Dynamics (GD) is a buy based on our value criteria," says J. Royden Ward.

The editor of Cabot Benjamin Graham Value Letter explains, "In our view, the shares are undervalued at 9.4 times forward 12-month EPS. Dividends have been paid since 1979 and currently provide a solid yield of 2.5%

"The company has an impressive record of increasing sales, earnings and dividends during the past 20 years which will continue unabated during the foreseeable future.

The list of stocks has been whittled down to four. Chevron Corporation (CVX) made the cut to become the oil company stock. Three defense sector powerhouses are competing for one spot in Chasing Value: 2011 Stock Picks -- The Journey Begin.

Today we take a more comprehensive view returning to earlier metrics, and adding some other criteria in order to reach a conclusion. This series began with the contention that making specific predictions was a fools errand with the danger to your portfolio coming from "black swans". To try and add some general counter measures to this possibility I decided that the defense and oil sectors might provide protection against the greatest of threats, war and terrorism. On that basis I posted Chasing Value: You Must Own Defense and Oil for Safety.

"It's been tough going for Lockheed Martin (LMT) in 2009-10, as well as for defense stocks overall," notes Stephen Leeb.

The editor of Leeb's Income Performance Letter explains, "Investors are concerned about the impact cutbacks in defense spending will have on profits. Still, the company arguably is the best positioned of the major defense contractors to weather a smaller defense budget.

"The company is bracing for leaner times and has taken cost-savings measures, such as offering early retirement incentives to executives. And its share price appears to have more than discounted any cuts that may come down the pike.

The defense sector is down, but don't count it out. We give lip service to the likelihood of defense being a target of budget hawks in Congress, but truth be told, the same fiscally conservative members are often the biggest supporters of defense.

Equally important is that unlike many other industries, this is one tech sector that keeps most of its jobs at home and well-distributed through the country. This, too, preserves defense spending.

The major players in the industry after 20 years of consolidation are General Dynamics Corp (GD), Lockheed Martin (LMT), Boeing Co (BA), Northrop, Grumman (NOC), and Raytheon Company (RTN). In addition there are hundreds more making specialized parts in support of the majors and more still supplying basic elements like tires, wiring, computer processors, steel, aluminum, specialty glass, and ammunition. Then there are suppliers of manpower and smaller manufacturers producing unmanned aircraft drones and robots.

"The government is funneling cash into a new breed of defense companies that specialize in nonconventional warfare and intelligence gathering. Global Defense Technology (GTEC) is one such company," says growth stock specialist Karim Rahemtulla.

The contributing editor to White Cap Research Group explains, "The company was met with little fanfare when it went public in December 2009. But with earnings in hypergrowth mode, and sales ready to leap beyond its $140 million market cap, this company won't remain Wall Street's best-kept secret much longer.

"While others will focus on the fear, we will continue to focus on the facts and figures; and right now, they show that there are plenty of good values out there," says John Reese.

The editor of Validea explains, "The market often turns when things look bleakest, and fear is running rampant. That's what so many of the gurus I follow knew. David Dreman has written extensively about buying unloved stocks, or being bullish in times of outright crisis.

"Warren Buffett has said that the time to be greedy is when others are fearful. And Peter Lynch has said having the stomach to stay disciplined during emotional times is critical to making money in stocks.

"One defense-related investment that looks promising is the latest generation of unmanned aircraft," says Jim Powell.

The editor of Global Changes & Opportunities Report says, "The new 'drones' as they are usually called, are extremely sophisticated. Most of them, such as the updated Predator and its successor the Reaper, are operated remotely from half way around the world.

"Many other drones are fully automated. They fly to predetermined points using GPS coordinate, where they take photographs, listen to electronic communications, make maps, and do other surveillance work. Some of the automated drones can remain aloft for a long as 36 hours.

"Since the global financial meltdown and ensuing recession, there's been a lot of prognosticating about defense spending; most Wall Street analysts expected the Obama administration to use the economic crisis as a pretense to rein in the enormous defense budget," says Gregg Early, editor of Personal Finance.

"Nevertheless, in my view, if you buy into the best names now, there's plenty of upside left. With over a quarter of million troops stationed in active war zones, the administration is obligated to ensure that they're safe and effective. And combat zones are the ideal testing ground for new equipment.

"Boeing (BA) is on the short list of great American companies; Boeing's heritage as the premier U.S.-based airplane manufacturer is impressive," says Brandon Clay.

The editor of Invest with an Edge explains, "While the company isn't a monopoly on this front, it really only has one legitimate competitor: Airbus. With the global economy improving, at least for now, the airline business is looking up. That's good news for Boeing.

"The attempted Christmas terrorist attack caused me to assess what stocks would benefit from increased attention to the security sector," says Glenn Rogers.

In Gordon Pape's The Internet Wealth Builder, he reviews four defense plays -- L-3 Communications (LLL), Cogent Systems (COGT), American Scientific & Engineering (ASEI) and OSI Systems (OSIS).

This post is part of a special report, Top Picks for 2010, the 27th annual survey in which TheStockAdvisors.com asks the nation's leading advisors for their single favorite stock for the new year. See all 80 stocks listed here.

Technology expert Gregg Early looks to AeroVironment (AVAV) as his top pick for the coming year.

The editor of The New Tech Investor -- and the soon-to-be-launched Portfolio 2020 -- he explains, "Although the firm's military aerospace business should be strong, it is the firm's new 'clean technology' and energy efficiency projects that should be the real growth kicker."

This post is part of a special report, Top Picks for 2010, the 27th annual survey in which TheStockAdvisors.com asks the nation's leading advisors for their single favorite stock for the new year. See all 80 stocks listed here.

"Our bias has again shifted temporarily to the bearish side, which makes me cautious about picking stocks in early 2010," says Gene Inger.

With that caveat in mind, the editor of The Inger Letter looks to Level 3 Communications (LVLT), a speculative, low-priced issue.

"For a pure play in automated and remotely controlled vehicles, consider iRobot (NASDAQ: IRBT)," says Jim Powell. Here's the latest from his Global Changes & Opportunities Report.

"The company is best known for its Roomba vacuum cleaners that wander around the house bumping into everything and setting off security alarms.

"A similar product cleans the surface of swimming pools. iRobot also makes automated mail and product delivery carts for businesses.