South American War

[GridGirl]

I will be totally honest and say that I know absolutely nothing about the growing tensions between Venezuela and Colombia. The president of Venezuela has apparently told his army to prepare for war but is this really likely and if it does happen who is likely to be involved?

The US by and large already has it's hands full with Iraq and Afghanistan and I don't really presume Europe with the possible exception of maybe Spain or Portugal would want to get involved. I'm only assuming Spain and Portugal may have an interest due to the language and historical links and therefore may be completely unfounded or unjustifiable assumptions on my part.

If a war does break out what are the implications for other South American countries?

Please discuss....

[Eki]

Portugal has nothing to do with Colombia and Venezuela, just Brazil.

[GridGirl]

I know that but if all South American countries get involved Portugal may become interested. Like I said before I know nothing of these growing tensions if I'm honest. :)

[Tomi]

I think its unlikely that any european country would get involved, their relations today is more about trade, also i belive that the other South American countrys try to stay out too.
If the happiness about Chavez among the people in Venezuela keep going down, and he looses the support one of the last tries might be to start a war, it would not be the first time in history.

[anthonyvop]

Relax.

It is just that blowhard Chavez spouting off again about some external threat. He does that every time he has a problem at home.

With massive power failures and a water shortage he is threatening Colombia because they are allowing the US to use one of their airbases for Drug interdiction flights.

The thought of the Venezuelan army of political patronage actually confronting battled hardened Colombian troops is laughable at best. Not to mention with US troops present the Ven. Air force and navy would cease to exist in less than 24 hours.

[gloomyDAY]

Hugo Chavez is just posturing. He is a very insecure person just looking for a fight, but it's all bark and no bite. Anytime Chavez feels threatened he'll overreact with a lot of empty rhetoric.

Think about what happened in 2008 when FARCs tried to sneak back across the Ecuadorian border with the Colombian Army hot on their trail. Instead of letting the left-wing rebels get away, the Colombian's decided to bomb their camp site inside Ecuador and gather valuable data from a reconnaisance mission on the charred remains. What did Chavez do? Sent his military to the border with Colombia and made an ominous warning that should Colombia do the same in Venezuelan soil that it would mean war. Why did Chavez care about what happened in Ecuador? Correa and Chavez are left-wing buddies. What did the Colombian's discover from the dead bodies and abandoned laptop? Hugo Chavez had been supplying the FARCs with weapons to fight the Colombians all along.

Nothing came of Hugo's empty threat and the Colombian's were able to verify through a U.N. overseer that the information gathered from that laptop was authentic and proved a link between Chavez and the FARCs. This caused such a stir that the Swedish government, the seller of the weapons to Venezuela up until 2006, actually reprimanded the deceitful act committed by Chavez.

The fact of the matter is that Venezuela has become more impoverished, seen a sharp rise in criminality (Caracas leads the world with homicides), and totalitarian since the inception of Chavez to the throne. The only reason Chavez is still in power is because of PDVSA, which has continually been going down the crapper since Chavez decided to nationalize the oil industry. There's a queue of lawsuits filed against Venezuela, primarily by oil companies from America and Europe, because their companies were robbed of their infrastructure in Venezuela and never compensated in return.

Now let's get back on topic and talk about why Hugo is all bent out of shape. America has always wanted to establish its foothold in its backyard, South America. With this came a slew of CIA assassination, which for better or worse, has caused a lot of hatred towards the gringo in the North. No other South American politician hates America most than Hugo Chavez. This last threat is just a scare tactic that isn't scaring anyone. Chavez is helpless in the fact that Colombia already sparked a deal with America and those air bases are as good as done, which leaves Venezuela militarily weaker. The only thing Chavez can bank on is the fact that Colombians themselves feel uneasy over the terms of the deal (American military has diplomatic immunity) and the Colombians can vote someone else into office that would axe the deal. Probable, but not likely.

[Roamy]

Hugo is a total Baffoon and the military should take over that country. Catholics killing Catholics would serve little purpose. Hugo is just trying to get into the drug business.

[Mark in Oshawa]

Hugo is a big bag of wind. Obama cant be convinced to send troops to a war he actually supported in Afghanistan. Territorial ambitions and taking down a blowhard like Hugo isn't on the agenda. Barack is too busy apolgizing for every damned thing America has inflicted on the world except for Hollywood.

That said, I put my money on the Colombians kicking Fat Boy's behind if he did start a war.

Such a shame. Venezuela is a beautiful country with a lot of resources and lots of oil, and yet since Hugo has been running the show, it is has slid further and further into decline. Which of course, is what hard core socialism will do to a country. Drive off all the rich who actually employ and invest, and eventually goverment waste and stupidity will consume the slack and start feeding on the country itself rather than helping it.

[F1boat]

Hopefully there would be no war. This will be bad for Venezuela, for the region and for the world. Chavez is crazy, if he is to start war. But in my opinion he is simply making empty threats.

[AAReagles]

Yes but Hugo could call in for reinforcements from Hollywood by appointing Sean Pean as his Minister of Defense. :eek:

What a pity that we might lose Mr Pean along his extraordinary services and contributions that he was committed to for our nation. :dozey:

[Mark in Oshawa]

Was reading an article in this week's ''MacLeans'' ( a Canadian news weekly) on this dispute. Most figure Chavez is doing what all dictators do. Create an external enemy to distract the populace from the growing unemployment, power outages and economic malaise. Apparently, Venezuelans are to have 3 minute showers. Chavez says you wont stink with just a 3 minute shower.

Gee....how come leftists are always trying to restrict everything from their populations? Or maybe more correctly, leftist thugs. I wouldn't sully the likes of Gordon Brown, Francois Mitterand and the like as being like a Chavez. Hugo, he is a classic elected dictator. Just like Iran's beloved leader, who Chavez is looking to get a military alliance with, or maybe Russia, who is giving Chavez a loan to buy 97 Tanks from the Russians. Gee, you ever think that money would be better spent on improving schools, power plants and infrastructure? Maybe funding the FARC rebels who stir up the Colombians might be better spent?????

Naaaah...start a war over stupidity....

[Roamy]

i told you
a vz plane ditched in africa suspected of off loading 3 tons of Coke.

the guy is a drug czar in disguise. shame on the world for accepting this guy as a legitimate leader. send a winchester memo !!

[Mark in Oshawa]

i told you
a vz plane ditched in africa suspected of off loading 3 tons of Coke.

the guy is a drug czar in disguise. shame on the world for accepting this guy as a legitimate leader. send a winchester memo !!

Fousto, Chavez is a legitimate leader. The people of Venezuela elected this idiot.....he is their problem, until he invades another country or stirs up some trouble somewheres. Then he is someone elses problem as well....


AS for the plane with coke on board, unless you can connect the dots BACK to Hugo, he isn't the drug smuggler. I wouldn't put something like that past him...but I doubt it.

[Roamy]

TSAI for Rah is SAI "the south american idiot" Has come out today in defense of Carlos the Jackal and you question whether this guy is involved with drugs :)

[Eki]

AS for the plane with coke on board, unless you can connect the dots BACK to Hugo, he isn't the drug smuggler. I wouldn't put something like that past him...but I doubt it.
He's got oil. I don't think he needs drugs.

[Roamy]

I am confident the proof will come out _ I probably need to go back and read about the items captured in the Ecuador raids.

[Mark in Oshawa]

He's got oil. I don't think he needs drugs.'

He needs what he can get Eki. In a country that is awash with oil, he still is rationing things that were never rationed before, including power. Dear Leader Chavez has been in power for a few terms now. Surely he should have SOLVED all the problems those rotten capitalists who used to run the country created? You know..build a power plant or two burning that oil he gets for nothing because he expropriated all the oil companies owned by those capitalists? Oh right....he was too busy giving Obama books and figuring ways to subvert the constitution and election process so he could be leader for life.......

I wouldn't put it past Chavez being involved in anything like the drug trade. Hugo hasn't done anything that leads me to think he gives a tinker's damn what happens to anyone but himself.

[Eki]

Hugo hasn't done anything that leads me to think he gives a tinker's damn what happens to anyone but himself.
Neither did Bush. Maybe Obama doesn't either, but he still has time to prove me wrong.

[Easy Drifter]

As usual when Eki has nothing intelligent to add to what is being discussed he goes off on his anti Bush (who is no longer in office) and Obama tirade.

[anthonyvop]

Chavez admires some really great people

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091121/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_venezuela_chavez;_ylt=AkTclYrmm.qRNWeNj5w9.g50f NdF

I love the AP calls say "alleged terrorist".

[anthonyvop]

It is common knowledge that Chavez is supporting the FARC who are Narco-terrorists.
What more proof do you need?

[Mark in Oshawa]

Neither did Bush. Maybe Obama doesn't either, but he still has time to prove me wrong.


I guess the BIllions he spent on helping curb AIDS in Africa didn't mean anything? OH right...we cant remember that. How about the Aid he signed off on for the US Navy to help out with the Tsunami victims in Indonesia? Right....

How about the fact the he was a duly elected politician who did the job to what he thought was right. Whether it was "bad" or not is opinion, but the last I looked, for all his awful misdeeds you lefties want to lay on him, your hero Obama hasn't changed much. Maybe getting the prisoners out of Gitmo counts. But not really. Bush was going to try them all in military court. Obama will try all but Khalid Sheik Mohammed in a civilian court in NYC. That oughta be fun. All the misdeeds of the CIA will all be subpeoneed. Maybe Bush and Cheney will be served to testify. OH ya...great fun....but Bush still isn't a criminal. You can accuse of him stuff, but like all leaders of superpowers, they can do good...they can do some bad...and most is in the gray areas. Objective people understand this. Eki, you havne't been objective on this board about anything political so why would I expect you to start now?