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.
The title is 2009, by Hugo Chavez. The dates are different, but the words sound the same: “War is peace - Freedom is Slavery – Ignorance is strength.” http://renovomedia.com/world-news/chavez-prepares-for-war-with-columbia/The title is 2009, by Hugo Chavez. The dates are different, but the words sound the... more
News today is that Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has swine flu. Now not that that's a harbinger of apocalypse and it's time to go running down to your local medical supply store to stock up on surgical masks - the Colombian President says he'll just be working from home as he heals.
But this is the latest in a string of swine flu stories (in fact, Uribe is the second Latin American leader to contract H1N1) and the Washington Post reminds us that flu season is fast approaching.
So honestly - is this really something we need to be worried about? Is this an overhyped story from a media in the August doldrums?News today is that Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has swine flu. Now not that that's... more
Marxist guerrillas in southwest Colombia are believed to have killed a second group of Indians the rebels accused of helping the government, a state governor said.
At least 10 Awa Indians were killed this week in Narino state, Gov. Navarro Wolff said late Wednesday. A day earlier, Wolff had reported that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, better known as FARC, had killed at least 17 Awa last week in another remote village.
"I don't have more information than what they gave us by cell [phone], but they gave us ... a list of names," Wolff said about the latest killings.
He said in an interview on CNN affiliate Caracol TV that villagers told him they cannot be certain that the FARC committed the killings because it was dark. But the governor and others say all indications point to the guerrillas.
The killings happened in two villages about a one- to two-day walk apart, he said.
Some Awa killed this week were fleeing the FARC because of last week's assassinations, said Luis Evelis Andrade of the National Indigenous Organization of Colombia, known by its Spanish acronym ONIC.
The FARC have targeted the Awa because the Indians don't want to get involved in the armed struggle and refuse to reveal information on government troop actions, Andrade said on Caracol.Marxist guerrillas in southwest Colombia are believed to have killed a second group of... more
Forrest Hylton: Uribe is no longer able to create illusion that he is in control.
Colombia is in the midst of an economic crisis, highlighted by the fall of several pyramid schemes. Colombian president Alvaro Uribe has vowed to stamp out corruption arresting 52 employees and declaring a state of emergency.
Forrest Hylton is the author of Evil Hour in Colombia (Verso, 2006), and with Sinclair Thomson, co-author of Revolutionary Horizons: Past and Present in Bolivian Politics (Verso, 2007). He is a regular contributor to New Left Review and NACLA Report on the Americas.
Forrest Hylton: Uribe has shown himself to be incapable of resolving economic issues.
Thousand of angry protestors gathered in Bogota to protest the shutdown of DMG, a company implicated in the Colombian pyramid scheme. Several hundred were tear gassed as they blocked a main street in support of DMG founder David Murcia Guzman. President Alvaro Uribe appeared defiant in his quest to bring the perpetrators to justice, but the economic aftershocks are emblematic of an underlying crisis facing Colombia as a whole. Forrest Hylton states that "Uribe has shown himself to be incapable of resolving economic issues."
Forrest Hylton is the author of Evil Hour in Colombia (Verso, 2006), and with Sinclair Thomson, co-author of Revolutionary Horizons: Past and Present in Bolivian Politics (Verso, 2007). He is a regular contributor to New Left Review and NACLA Report on the Americas.
President Alvaro Uribe's government on Wednesday fired 25 soldiers, including three generals and four colonels, over the killings of at least 11 civilians who disappeared from a Bogota suburb and were found dead hundreds of miles away.
Uribe said an internal military probe determined that the cashiered soldiers were guilty at least of negligence that included permitting "the collusion of members of the army with criminals" in "the murder of innocents."
The purge was the biggest shakeup in years in Colombia's armed forces over human rights abuses and comes as rights groups complain of a rise in killings of noncombatants to boost body counts of leftist rebels.
Armed forces chief Gen. Freddy Padilla read out the names of the fired soldiers at a news conference with Uribe and Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos at his side. They said the cases would be turned over to the chief prosecutor's office.
Neither Uribe nor the other officials explained how the 25 soldiers cashiered on Wednesday — who included 19 officers — might have been involved in the deaths of the 11 men who disappeared from the Bogota suburb of Soacha early this year and whose bodies were found in August and September in common graves in a turbulent area near the Venezuela border.
One of the generals fired on Wednesday, 30th Brigade commander Paulino Coronado, told The Associated Press after nine of the bodies were found that the men had been killed in combat with rebels of the leftist National Liberation Army.
The other two cashiered generals were Jose Joaquin Cortes, commander of the 2nd Division and Roberto Hernandez, commander of the 7th Division.
The action came a day after Amnesty International urged the United States and other nations to halt military aid to Colombia until security forces reduce killings of civilians and the country heeds U.N. recommendations for ending its civil conflict President Alvaro Uribe's government on Wednesday fired 25 soldiers, including three... more
More than 10,000 indigenous Colombians have begun a protest march against President Alvaro Uribe. Marchers are protesting the militarization of their territories, the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, and the failure of Uribe’s administration to fulfill various accords with the indigenous communities.More than 10,000 indigenous Colombians have begun a protest march against President... more
Thousands gather for 62-mile march to demand justice and land.
10,000 indigenous Colombians are marching against President Alvaro Uribe's policies. The protest comes one week after violence erupted during demonstrations to press for land reform and dialogue with the government.
Thousands gather for 62-mile march to demand justice and land.
10,000 indigenous... more
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe acknowledged Wednesday that his army used the Red Cross emblem in its bloodless July 2 rescue of 15 hostages, a move the humanitarian agency swiftly denounced as "abusive."
Uribe allowed that one army official wore a vest with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) emblem but said that it was because the official was nervous about the operation and there were many leftist rebels on the scene. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe acknowledged Wednesday that his army used the Red... more
It’s not an unusual occurrence for hostages after their release to show signs of loyalty or compassion toward their hostage-takers - the psychological response more famously known as the Stockholm syndrome.
It can’t have escaped the attention of anyone the rescue of Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages from the grips of the Colombian FARC after countless years of captivity in the jungle. Now that they are free, the question remains…any signs of the mysterious Stockholm syndrome emerging?
Nothing beats the clarity of good old-fashioned list...
So here's an interesting one I stumbled across recently - by means of Greg Week's Latin American blog, 'Two Weeks Notice'. It lists the current popularity ratings amongst Latin American Presidents.
84% Álvaro Uribe, Colombia (3/08)
61% Felipe Calderón, Mexico (5/08)
55% Antonio Saca, El Salvador (5/08)
55% Evo Morales, Bolivia (5/08)
55% Luis Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil (3/08)
54% Hugo Chávez, Venezuela (4/08)
53% Rafael Correa, Ecuador (6/08)
51% Martín Torrijos, Panama (4/08)
49% Álvaro Colom, Guatemala (3/08)
45% Tabaré Vázquez, Uruguay (3/08)
44% Oscar Arias, Costa Rica (4/08)
44% Michelle Bachelet, Chile (6/08)
38% Manuel Zelaya, Honduras (2/08)
34% Stephen Harper, Canada (3/08)
32% Alan García, Peru (6/08)
30% George W. Bush, United States (6/08)
26% Cristina Fernández, Argentina (5/08)
21% Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua (2/08)
5% Nicanor Duarte, Paraguay (3/08)
I'm not too sure as to how much we can read into this. I guess it's no surprise that Colombia's Uribe tops the list. I was chatting with a Colombian guy the other week, and having asked him whether he thought Uribe was good or bad for the country he responded, "he's neither good nor bad...he's AMAZING!" His effectiveness in tackling the FARC guerillas, keeping the economy relatively stable and taking hed-on the likes of Chavez and Correa, no doubt playing a part in his popularity. Still I'm not to sure international human right's groups will be to keen in praising his presidency.
Other than that, the Presidents of the "New Left" (Chavez, Correa, Lula, Morales) all seem to be doing alright, though I'm sure they must be done from where they would have been this time last year. And then there's poor old Cristina Fernandez who really is making a dog's dinner out of the popularity she had inherited over from her husband, Nestor Kirchner. Nothing beats the clarity of good old-fashioned list...
So here's an interesting... more
"Colombian prosecutors have ordered the arrest of a cousin and key ally of President Alvaro Uribe over alleged ties to paramilitary groups.
The chief prosecutor's office said Mario Uribe Escobar was accused of criminal conspiracy.
Mr Uribe, who stepped down as a senator last October, denies any wrongdoing.
He is one of the most prominent figures caught up in the scandal that has seen dozens of politicians arrested over alleged links to paramilitaries.""Colombian prosecutors have ordered the arrest of a cousin and key ally of President... more
"Venezuela says it will immediately normalise diplomatic relations with Colombia, a week after ties were cut."
Hugo and Alvaro have shaken hands and made up. Good job guys."Venezuela says it will immediately normalise diplomatic relations with Colombia, a... more
The crisis over Colombia's cross-border raid into Ecuador is over after the presidents of the two countries shook hands at a regional summit.
Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, who had backed Ecuador's Rafael Correa in condemning Colombia's actions, also embraced Colombia's Alvaro Uribe. The crisis over Colombia's cross-border raid into Ecuador is over after the presidents... more
The Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has said today that he is to denounce Venezuela's Hugo Chavez in an international court after Venezuela and Ecuador both cut diplomatic ties with Bogota, which was followed by their troops being ordered to their neighbour's frontier.
Both Chavez and Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa have been accused as having allegiances with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia or FARC guerrillas by Colombia, accusations that were triggered by a Colombian raid that killed a top guerilla boss.
The Colombian President spoke out on his country's actions, saying:
"Colombia proposes to denounce the President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez in the International Criminal Court for sponsoring and financing genocide." The Colombian President Alvaro Uribe has said today that he is to denounce Venezuela's... more
A Venezuelan-led mission to rescue three hostages, including a young boy, from leftist rebels in Colombia's jungles fell apart Monday, as the guerrillas accused Colombia's military of sabotaging the promised handoff.
A Venezuelan aviation officer waits as two helicopters prepare to fly to Villavicencio.
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe dismissed the claim as a lie by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, instead suggesting the guerrillas could be backing out of the deal brokered by President Hugo Chavez because they don't have the boy hostage.
"The FARC terrorist group doesn't have any excuse. They've fooled Colombia and now they want to fool the international community," Uribe said from the central Colombian city where Venezuela helicopters have been waiting since Friday for word from the guerrillas on where the hostages could be picked up.
He made the shocking suggestion that the guerrillas "don't dare to keep their promises because they don't have the boy, Emmanuel" -- who the FARC announced two weeks ago they'd free along with his mother, Clara Rojas, and former congresswoman Consuelo Gonzalez.
Uribe said his government had given Venezuela and the international Red Cross coordinating the mission every guarantee that its military would not obstruct the handover, even promising to create a cease-fire corridor to allow the rebels to escort their hostages through the France-sized jungles to the pickup point.
Former Argentine President Nestor Kirchner and observers from France, Switzerland and four other Latin American nations abandoned Villavicencio on Monday.
"Shame on Colombia, shame on Uribe," Oliver Stone, the American filmmaker, told The Associated Press shortly before boarding one of three Venezuelan jets carrying the observers back to Caracas. Stone, who was invited by Chavez to document the handover, added "the FARC have no motive not to release these hostages."A Venezuelan-led mission to rescue three hostages, including a young boy, from leftist... more
