Chavez Predicts Resistance War With U.S. (Preparing Troops)

AP ^ | 6-24-2007 | chris toothaker

[My Favorite Headache]

Chavez Predicts Resistance War With U.S. Published: 6/24/07, 10:45 PM EDT By CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - President Hugo Chavez urged soldiers on Sunday to prepare for a guerrilla-style war against the United States, saying that Washington is using psychological and economic warfare as part of an unconventional campaign aimed at derailing his government.

Dressing in olive green fatigues and a red beret, Chavez spoke inside Tiuna Fort - Venezuela's military nerve-center - before hundreds of uniformed soldiers standing alongside armored vehicles and tanks decorated with banners reading: "Fatherland, Socialism, or Death! We will triumph!"

"We must continue developing the resistance war, that's the anti-imperialist weapon. We must think and prepare for the resistance war everyday," said Chavez, who has repeatedly warned that American soldiers could invade Venezuela to seize control of the South American nation's immense oil reserves.

U.S. officials reject claims that Washington is considering a military attack. But the U.S. government has expressed concern over what it perceives as a significant arms built-up here.

Chavez - a close ally of Cuban leader Fidel Castro - told soldiers the Washington was trying to weaken and divide Venezuelan society, including the armed forces, without resorting to combat.

"It's not just armed warfare," said Chavez, a former army officer who is leading what he calls the "Bolivarian Revolution," a socialist movement named after 19th-century independence hero Simon Bolivar. "I'm also referring to psychological warfare, media warfare, political warfare, economic warfare."

Under Chavez, Venezuela has recently purchased some $3 billion worth of arms from Russia, including 53 military helicopters, 100,000 Kalashnikov rifles, 24 SU-30 Sukhoi fighter jets.

Last week, Chavez said he is considering arms purchases, including submarines and a missile-equipped air defense system, as he prepares for a tour of Russia, Belarus and Iran.

"We are strengthening Venezuela's military power precisely to avoid imperial aggressions and assure peace, not to attack anybody," he said Sunday.

[sonic109]

His head will be on a stick in 3 years. Just watch.

[Outland]

Typical socialist BS. It’s all “for the people”... while the people starve, lose property and are told how to live their lives. Meanwhile, the dictator spends billions on his toy armies and eats quite well.

Socialism has always been a big lie.

[rdl6989]

But how do we know several enemies HAVEN’T inserted more sleeper cells disguised as lettuce pickers?

There is no doubt in my mind that Al Qaida sleeper cells have done this. It would very easy for them to blend in with Mexican aliens.

[Rick_Michael]

Submarines.....hugo is very close to being a real enemy....he better watch his step.

[se_ohio_young_conservative]

Hey Hugo,

Put down the crack pipe dude.

To tell you the truth. We could wipe your government out in less than 5 minutes with no ground force at all if we really wanted.

[Rick_Michael]

Yeah, the new war is fought through immigration....lol.

Open border democracy....I guess.

[The Pack Knight]

In International Relations Theory, we call this Omnibalancing. A despot uses a real or imagined outside threat in order to cause his otherwise disaffected populace to align with him. It is a permutation of Stephen Walt's Balance of Threat theory.

In other words, Chavez is simply sounding an alarm that the "Yanquis are coming", hoping that it will both justify and distract from his own excesses in the minds of his people, and rally them to his support out of fear of us. The Assad family has been doing much the same thing in Syria for decades, using Israel as a bogeyman to prop up their own rather unstable power base.

[Cindy]

OPINION: Isn’t he a “real enemy” now because he want to be (like Ahmadinejad in Iran”) or is he a potential enemy because he is trying so hard to fit in to that “enemy” label?

Well, time will answer this question.

[supremedoctrine]

THe parallels with Castro are mind-boggling. It’s like he’s channeling him/

[stephenjohnbanker]

If we don’t kill this bill, not much else matters. How many native Americans are going to defend a third world hellhole?

[Rick_Michael]

Cindy S....lol....?

Just playing.

Well a small threat is quite different from a big threat. It’s one thing if he’s an annoying moron, but it’s quite another if he gathers an arsenal that can truely threaten us.

[Stayingawayfromthedarkside]

while the people of Venezuela starve.

[Rick_Michael]

Wolverines!!!!!!!!

[ozzymandus]

Apparently the only thing Hugo has left to keep the starving masses in line is the tired old threat of the Yankee invasion. I hope the Vennies are smart enough to see through this, but it’s been a staple of latin politics for centuries. Look at Fidel.

[cardinal4]

All Hugo has to do is send 5 million troops to the U.S.A. and Bush, Graham, Kennedy, Reid, Lott, Kyl and McCain will give them permanent resident status with the Z-visa.

Preach on, brother..

[Cindy]

“Well a small threat is quite different from a big threat. It’s one thing if he’s an annoying moron, but it’s quite another if he gathers an arsenal that can truely threaten us.”

YEP.

[Cindy]

Yes and that is very sad and shouldn’t be happening at all there.
Maybe Chavez admires Mugabe, too.

[Cinnamon]

Will someone shut up that 3rd world country chihuahua please?

[Stayingawayfromthedarkside]

Probably

[AnimalLover]

PING