Venezuela's Chavez Seeking to Create 'Bolivarian Army' to Counter 'U.S. Imperialism'***... In his European venture, President Bush is wise to do what he can to ease the prospect of another "Islamic Nuclear Power" in Tehran. It's even possible -- though unlikely -- that he can dissuade Vladimir Putin from selling nuclear technology to the Iranians. If there is truth to the rumor that the Russians are providing their nuclear know-how to Tehran in exchange for Iranian "help" in Chechnya, then the transfer will take place no matter what Putin promises.
But no matter what the outcome in Europe, regardless of how the administration deals with North Korea's nuclear ambitions, they cannot ignore the growing storm south of our border. As one retired intelligence officer, an expert on Latin America, told me this week, "If they think they have a problem with illegal immigration today, wait until the Castro-Chavez-Ortega 'Axis of Evil' gets done destabilizing this hemisphere." ...***
The New Fidel ***....Even more troubling, Miami’s El Nuevo Herald reported in January that Cuban judicial and security forces have arrived in Caracas wielding unusual inter-country police powers which allow them to abduct Venezuelan and Cuban citizens and transport them to Cuba without an extradition hearing. “Cubans are running Venezuelan intelligence services, indoctrinating and training the military, and now this. Whoever heard of one country allowing another country to have police powers?” said Otto Reich, the former ambassador to Venezuela under President Ronald Reagan. As a self-proclaimed “revolutionary” and darling of the anti-imperialist movement, Chavez’s claim that he is an innocent victim of U.S. aggression and unilateralism may resonate in some global circles, but in reality, it is simply an ill-timed and unfortunate attempt to gain domestic significance. By portraying the U.S. as an enemy of the Venezuelan people, Chavez is playing the centuries-old “victim” game used by past dictators to maintain power. His desperate cries concerning the “bully to the north” and an “imminent U.S. invasion” point to a government in turmoil.
The real reason for Chavez’s desperation lies not in the encroachment of Venezuelan sovereignty by the U.S.; rather, it rests entirely upon a multitude of unfulfilled promises Chavez has made to the Venezuelan people over the course of the past six years and a growing impatience with his brash style of governing. Latin American leaders such as Columbia’s President, Alvaro Uribe, a strong U.S. ally in the war on terror, are no longer willing to dismiss his inflammatory comments as instances of trivial mockery....***