Venezuela // Current

Rising Tensions in Venezuela and Colombia

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has urged his armed forces to be prepared for... more

AlexBush
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Chavez: Prepare for war

Amid all the news out there this Monday morning (health care bills, awakened Ft. Hood shooters, menacing Gulf hurricanes, over-bonused bankers) this little gem caught my eye.

From the AP: Chavez to troops: Prepare for war with Colombia

"President Hugo Chavez ordered Venezuela's military on Sunday to prepare for a possible armed conflict with Colombia, saying the country's soldiers should be ready if the United States attempts to provoke a war between the South American neighbors. "The best way to avoid war is preparing for it," Chavez told military officers standing at attention during his weekly television and radio program."

Chavez is worried about the influence the US exerts over Colombia, their military cooperation, and argues that the Obama Administration could try to stir up a conflict between the two South American nations (because they're not busy enough?). From the Venezuelan perspective a new military pact between the US and Colombia threatens the region's stability.

"According to Francisco Javier Arias, deputy Foreign Minister of Venezuela, Colombia signed a pact with the U.S. allowing the Americans to freely use Colombian military bases and airports to secure the "continuity of the empire." "President Uribe is putting the region at risk to secure his re-election, dragging an elephant like the United States into a china shop, with the idea of solve problems that this northern country is not interested in," the official told Colombian Caracol Radio.

Chavez ordered 15,000 additional Venezuelan troops to the border. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe plans to appeal to the UN Security Council.

From the News Blog: http://blogs.current.com/news/2009/11/09/chavez-prepare-for-war/

Sources: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hlP2MozD95CjZl6e_B6X-kVCZqCwD9BRHBOG1
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/6780-uribe-uses-venezuela-to-secure-re-election.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5A80B020091109
http://blog.foreignpolicy.com/node/70745

(h/t FP Passport)Amid all the news out there this Monday morning (health care bills, awakened Ft. Hood... more

afitzgerald
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5 days ago
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Chavez, troops to prepare for war

More empty threats? or are Columbia and Venezuela headed for war?

lmbowler
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5 days ago
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The Bender Podcast – Go Away Pre-Order Bonus, the $100 360, and Nintendo 64

http://www.bingegamer.net/2009/the-bender-podcast%e2%80%93episode-009-go-away-pre-order... more

PacoDG
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7 days ago
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The FARC Files

New evidence linking Venezuela and Ecuador to mutual support with Colombia’s FARC... more

ReporteVirtual
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20 days ago
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Colombian soccer players found dead in Venezuela- Chavez calls Colombian Minister "Mental Retard"

Hugo Chavez, stirred up things more by calling the Colombian defense minister a... more

ksutherland27
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20 days ago
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slayings in Venezuela spur Hugo chavez to up border sercurity

10 recent killings along the border of Venezuela have spurred Chavez to up security... more

ksutherland27
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20 days ago
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Chavez says Obama did 'nothing' to deserve Nobel

Chavez, who has mixed praise for Obama personally with criticism of his government's... more

maasanova
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1 month ago
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6 comments

Conspiracy against the dollar?

Apparently the UAE is trying convince the likes of China, Japan, etc. to refuse the... more

AlexBush
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1 month ago
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1 comment

Venezuela bans Family Guy

Authorities in Venezuela say they will punish TV stations if they continue to... more

unclepete
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1 month ago
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8 comments

Hugo Chavez Thinks Fox News is Hilarious

It looks like Fox News doesn't have any friends outside of America's borders. And... more

bishopobispo
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1 month ago
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77 comments

Stewie Griffin promotes drug use for the US Government, or so says Venezuela

Venezuelan state TV has been airing clips of Family Guy to show how the US Government... more

btucker
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1 month ago
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83 comments

Even Miss Venezuela can't escape economic crisis

Despite a second consecutive victory at this year's Miss Universe, even Venezuela's... more

pcs007
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1 month ago
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Ayatollahs cast growing shadow in Latin America | ajc.com

The Obama administration must take note. Ahmadinejad’s regime promises to have strategic repercussions in America’s neighborhood. The expansion of Iranian influence in the Western Hemisphere — diplomatic, economic, military and terrorist infrastructure — has been rapid.

In little more than two years, the number of Iranian diplomatic representatives in the region has increased from six to 11 and the number of diplomatic personnel has grown proportionately. This multiplication of Iran’s ties with Latin America has been the result of a strategic convergence.

Tehran sees its penetration in the region as essential to its efforts to weaken Washington international influence. The radical leftist governments of Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua view Iran as a partner with whom they share common ground: hostility towards the U.S. The result is an anti-American alliance in the heart of the Western Hemisphere.

The growth of political ties has been followed by an expansion of economic interests. Iran has invested in a huge array of industries in Venezuela, ranging from car factories to cement production plants. The Islamic Republic has agreed to build a refinery and a petrochemical plant in Ecuador. Tehran is also making efforts to increase its commercial and cooperation ties with Mexico and Brazil.

Furthermore, Iran is seeking to develop military ties with Venezuela. In 2007, Tehran signed an agreement to collaborate on defense matters, which has already resulted in the provision of a dozen Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). At the same time Tehran has become a key partner in the development of the space program and the nuclear projects of Caracas and announced plans to build a munitions factory in the Venezuelan state of Carabobo.

The most worrisome Iranian activity in Latin America, however, is the establishment of terrorist infrastructures linked to Iran. Tehran employs a combination of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — Vahidi was the head of IRGC’s Quds Force — and the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah in its covert operations. The presence of both organizations in Latin America has substantially increased in recent years.

For example, the IRGC is cooperating closely with Venezuelan intelligence agencies. Tehran sent observers to military exercises organized by Caracas in 2008. Hezbollah has built a network of relations with Venezuelan citizens, making Caracas Hezbollah’s gateway into Latin America. As the U.S. Treasury Department denounced, one Venezuelan diplomat accredited in Beirut, Ghazi Nasr al Din, provided support to Hezbollah, including help with setting up its fund-raising apparatus in Latin America.The Obama administration must take note. Ahmadinejad’s regime promises to have... more