President Hugo Chavez just can't seem to get his name out of the news this week. As a result of the agreement by the U.S. and Colombia allowing increased U.S. military presence at a number of bases in Colombia, tensions between Colombia and Venezuela have increased. The United States says that the increased military presence in Colombia is needed in order to combat drug traffickers in the area. From Chavez's point of view, he has grown increasingly wary of the "imperialist" United States and is apparently preparing for a possible armed attack by the United States and/or Colombia.
How is Chavez preparing? With no interest in speaking directly to Colombia, Chavez has urged civilians of Venezuela to join government-organized militias in order to prepare for possible foreign attacks. He has also purchased 4 billion dollars worth of Russian arms since 2005 and recently purchased 300 armored vehicles and Russian war tanks.
Also this weekend, Chavez was heard praising the alleged terrorist "Carlos the Jackal," whose real name is Ilich Ramirez Sanchez. A controversial imprisoned (in France since 1975) Venezuelan figure, Ramirez is infamous for killing two French secret agents and an alleged informant, leading an attack that killed three people at the OPEC headquarters in Vienna, tied to the hijacking of an AirFrance jet, and is accused of having a role in car bombings and train bombings in France. Chavez has called him a "revolutionary fighter" and said that he has been placed in a category of leaders who are wrongly labeled as "bad guys" like Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Chavez referred to Ramirez as a friend and controversially addressed him as "Dear Compatriot" when responding to a letter Ramirez wrote him from prison in 1999.
As if that wasn't enough to spring him into the top headlines, he recently invited Fidel Castro to Venezuela, stating that "Venezuela awaits you" in a letter read aloud to Castro during Chavez's Saturday night televised speech.
Online Sources: Associated Press
Image Source: Open Salon
de Clermont - Chavez does not really believe that the US is a military threat to him and Venezuela. He is a) trying to divert domestic attention from the country's growing problems, b) trying to divert attention in a negative way to the US presence in Colombia (propaganda to hurt the Colombian US alliance and to help the FARC should the US have to leave or diminish their presence), c) he is trying to provoke some conflict to justify his militarization, d) to justify generally his expenditures on military hardware and e) trying to divert attention negatively in the region so as to drown out negative regional commentary about him by creating a fake conflict.
ReplyDeleteputting seven military bases in Columbia is totally justified and makes perfect sense. We have to fight drug dealers and Farc rebels cause they're on the verge of attacking us. It's not like the US has a history of overthrowing democratically elected presidents of South American countries.
ReplyDeletede Clermont- anonymous' satirical comment presents a falsehood. It is one that the Leftists in our region repeat continuously, following Mao Tse Tung's famous comment, "Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes accepted as the truth. THRUTH - the US is NOT installing 7 military bases. It has only increased its personnel and military advisors to 800. If this is such a problem, why wan't there a complaint about the US' presence at Manta, Ecuador. That was a fully operating military base. In fact, the stationed military presence in South America has reduced. And,by the way, the Drug dealers and the FARC ARE attacking daily innocent Colombians - both supported by Chavez. Who is the threat in the region? Chavez.
ReplyDeleteeveryone's got Mao on the mind these days... I'm super excited that I'm paying for American troops to help defend Columbian trade union leaders from being attacked by FARC rebels. oops... there I go presenting falsehoods again. Who is it that attacks labor leaders in Columbia? I give up, lets just say Chavez does it.
ReplyDeleteI don't worry about year 2009. I worry about year 2020, when Chavez will have Nuclear Weapons. Then he can threaten Colombia or any other country in the area with Atomic or Hydrogen Bombs.
ReplyDeleteHe can even threaten the Panama Canal with Nuclear Weapons, or New York or Washington with Nuclear Terrorism, like detonating a bomb inside a suitcase in a Hotel or Taxi.
That is what he is preparing with the Mad Leader of Iran and his contacts with the Russians. Chavez is very enthusiastic of going nuclear.
History is plagued with incredible and unbelievable things that happened, precisely, because nobody paid attention to a madman or dictator.
And if the dictator is an admirer of Carlos, the Jackal and of Iddi Amin Dadda ( two heroes of Chavez ) then let's kneel and pray to God, the Virgin, the Saints, the Angels and the blessed animas of Purgatory.
The Future of Foreign Policies :
Prophesizing.com
Vicente Duque
I worry about the year 2030 when Chavez perfects the science of cloning and sends a millions of copies of himself to all the countries of the world.
ReplyDelete