Posted on 12/09/2009 5:29:23 PM PST by Kaslin
Americas: Venezuela's Hugo Chavez was all bluster last weekend, flashing his missiles, hurling insults and spoiling for a fight with Colombia. The big danger here isn't Chavez, but growing White House indifference to an ally.
This fall, when U.S. officials agreed to expanded military-base access in Colombia to fight drug trafficking and terrorism, it never occurred to them how much Chavez would use the arrangement as a pretext for aggression.
"They are preparing a war against us," Chavez said Monday. So from Russia, he said, "thousands of missiles are arriving," along with T-72 military tanks "to strengthen our armored divisions."
The U.S. ought to take this as a threat, because signs are piling up that Chavez is preparing to move against Colombia. It's not just that he has ruined Venezuela's economy and wants to distract his subjects by whipping up nationalist fervor. He seeks to break the U.S.-Colombia alliance and drive the U.S. from the region.
Chavista military doctrine, after all, claims that Colombia doesn't actually exist. The 2005 "Pensamiento Militar Bolivariano" says Colombia's alliance with the U.S. renders its sovereignty null, giving Venezuela a right to take it over.
Monday's missile announcement follows a string of small provocations. Two months ago, 11 Colombian soccer players were massacred in Venezuela by illegal armed groups that freely roam the area. Venezuela's callous obstruction of Colombia's effort to retrieve the bodies stood out for its malevolence.
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
Chavez will make a lot of noise to the west and maybe play a few border games but he doesn’t have the guts or will to enter a war he knows would end very badly for Venezuela. No, Chaves will use the western border as a decoy and then go EAST and grab part of Guyana!
Why would 0bambi pick a fight with Chavez.....because Chavez isn’t being leftist enough?
If the enemy is close and yet quiet, he occupies a strategic position.
If he is at a distance and yet acts provocatively, he wants us to advance.
Where he has positioned himself on level ground, he is harboring some advantage.
If his language is belligerent, and he advances aggressively, he will withdraw.
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