[Barron von Hammer]

CNN: "Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Sunday ordered his military to move 10 battalions to the country's border with Colombia, and ordered the closure of the Venezuelan embassy in Colombia's capital."

It seems that Chavez is threatening war over the fact that the Columbian military took out Luis Silva, the number two man for FARC.

Let us hope that Chavez is not that stupid. Then again this is the guy who melodramatically announces the movement by personally ordering his defense minister on his weekly television show to move the battalions.


Concerning Silva's death, Chavez stated, "It wasn't any combat. It was a cowardly murder, all of it coldly calculated." Of course he is talking about a FARC leader. The irony is of course sickening.

[Lavo_2]

Wait... So he's mad Colombia is getting rid of it's terrorists? I loled at the stupidity.

[cjav0]

lol chavez is a idiot. FARC is slowly moving its forces in to Venezuela as well. His own citizens are becoming victims of farc more and more... instead of doing something about it he encourages them...

[Kenadian_2006]

Wow, hope the global community staunchly supports Colombia in this.

[Gustave5436]

cjavo, on Mar 2 2008, 02:46 PM, said:

lol chavez is a idiot. FARC is slowly moving its forces in to Venezuela as well. His own citizens are becoming victims of farc more and more... instead of doing something about it he encourages them...

Wouldn't having troops on the border decrease FARC entry into Venezuela?

Kenadian_2006, on Mar 2 2008, 02:48 PM, said:

Wow, hope the global community staunchly supports Colombia in this.

This violation of Ecuador's sovereignty?

This post has been edited by Gustave5436: 02 March 2008 - 05:05 PM

[Emperor Alakrie]

It's just an excuse for invasion.
The plot thickens.

[Balkan Banania]

From what I read the mobilization is due to

Quote

"A military aggression is being prepared," Chavez added, saying that Washington aims to "oblige us to respond, and later a war could be set off." He cited intelligence reports but did not offer evidence to support his claim.

Which taking into consideration that Columbia is actually a protectorate of the U.S. can be true (I am not saying it is true ). I suppose that the movement is for defensive purposes only.

[HordeOfDoom]

I hope he invades Colombia, then we might get some Dramaz. (With Putin leaving, Wold Drama Quotient will be going down significantly)

[Elyat]

HordeOfDoom, on Mar 2 2008, 06:13 PM, said:

...With Putin leaving...

Yeah, right.

[HordeOfDoom]

Doitzel, on Mar 2 2008, 06:15 PM, said:

Yeah, right.

Heh. With him leaving the presidency he'll at least be subdued a bit

This post has been edited by HordeOfDoom: 02 March 2008 - 05:16 PM

[Balkan Banania]

Quote

Dmitry Medvedev's endorsement as a presidential candidate by four pro-Putin political parties and by Vladimir Putin himself ends months of rumors in Moscow. Medvedev's appeal to Putin, asking him to serve as a prime minister after the March presidential elections, confirms not only that Putin will play a pivotal role in Russian politics after he steps down but that he will remain the number one politician in Russia for years to come

Leaving?

[zoskia]

Kenadian_2006, on Mar 2 2008, 07:48 PM, said:

Wow, hope the global community staunchly supports Colombia in this.

Chavez won't start a war... and Colombia won't start a war either.

The situation is that the president of Colombia, Uribe, doesn't want other governmets as negotiators in his relationship with the FARC.

Uribe is mostly making a lot of mistakes with the FARC (he has no other strategy than War with them... you may think that this is clever because "they are terrorists", but it's not so clever when you think about the real size that the FARC actually has and that if the BIG war with the FARC begins, then such thing is going to create a really big civil war in Colombia... probably the biggest civil war in South America ever).

What Chavez wants is not really a war with Colombia, he knows that he has 0 chances of invading Colombia and establish there a governmet that would be accepted by any other Nation. What he wants is to put the president of Colmbia in a situation in which he will need other governments as negotiators (this is exactly what Chavez wants).

Uribe won't start a war either, he can't have his army fighting with Venezuela and with the FARC at the same time.

Chavez is mostly playing Chess with Uribe. The aim of his move is not really "war" (which won't happen), but International Intervention (I think he mostly has other South American governments in mind, but also France). Chavez would love to be the negotiator himself, but Uribe doesn't want him as a negotiator because he considers Chavez to be biased towards the FARC and against him (which is true)... but with this move, Chavez is excluding himself as the possible negotiator, but forcing both Uribe and other government to start taking positions of "neutrality" and act as negotiators.

I don't specially like Chavez, but I think that his move may have good results in this sense. I think he's a good "chess player".

This post has been edited by zoskia: 02 March 2008 - 05:20 PM

[Kevin the Great]

This isn't likely to end well.

[zoskia]

Kevin the Great, on Mar 2 2008, 08:21 PM, said:

This isn't likely to end well.

I think you are wrong.
You are thinking that this is going to end in a war between Venezuela and Colombia, but that's not the case.

Have in mind that Colombia right now is about to get into a big civil war, a big massacre, and that the only way out is international negotiators. Otherwise a big massacre will begin quite soon.

Uribe doesn't want international negotiators, Chavez is forcing him to accept them.
I really think that Chavez is actually preventing a war, and not exactly trying to start one (a big civil war in Colombia that without this move is VERY likely to begin in just a few months).

[Saniel]

I am unsure how telling Columbia that they will get a military response if they invade Venezuela is unreasonable.

This post has been edited by Saniel: 02 March 2008 - 05:34 PM

[America]

zoskia, on Mar 2 2008, 11:26 PM, said:

I think you are wrong.
You are thinking that this is going to end in a war between Venezuela and Colombia, but that's not the case.

Have in mind that Colombia right now is about to get into a big civil war, a big massacre, and that the only way out is international negotiators. Otherwise a big massacre will begin quite soon.

Uribe doesn't want international negotiators, Chavez is forcing him to accept them.
I really think that Chavez is actually preventing a war, and not exactly trying to start one (a big civil war in Colombia that without this move is VERY likely to begin in just a few months).

If I was Chavez I'd invade then, after the civil war wears out Columbia. Who is going to fight them off after everyone is dead?

[Meso Commonwealth]

Bolivian Empire of Venezuela?

All jokes aside, I agree with the 'chess move' assessment. While I have no doubts President Chaviz is a bit... Off, he's never striked me as stupid. I find him quit intelligent actually.

[Ned the Great]

Go Chavez! Teach the fascist Columbian Government what's right (no offense to anyone else)!

[Kenadian_2006]

Gustave5436, on Mar 2 2008, 06:04 PM, said:

Wouldn't having troops on the border decrease FARC entry into Venezuela?



This violation of Ecuador's sovereignty?

Say what now? I'm gonna go out on a limb here and presume you mean the little...scuffle, that Peru and Ecuador had in 1940 or 41?

@Zoskia, I can definitely see a need for Uribe to actually allow negotiators from other countries, it's needed. Both he and Chavez failed in negotiations.

[Charles VI]

Quote

Uribe is mostly making a lot of mistakes with the FARC (he has no other strategy than War with them... you may think that this is clever because "they are terrorists", but it's not so clever when you think about the real size that the FARC actually has and that if the BIG war with the FARC begins, then such thing is going to create a really big civil war in Colombia... probably the biggest civil war in South America ever).

Since Uribe took office, Colombia's rural areas have been rid of the FARC, pushing them far into the Colombian Amazon. From my perspective at least, that is a huge achievement. Especially considering what were the conditions before he became President. It is from a position of power, such as the one the Colombian government currently has, that diplomacy with a rebel/terrorist group must be made - otherwise, considering their terms, compromise is unthinkable.

Off-topic: It's a shame there's the for-the-most-part useless law stating that a President can only be in office for two consecutive terms. I quite think Uribe might be the best President Colombia has had in a very long time. Difficult man to replace.

Quote

This violation of Ecuador's sovereignty?

A reasonable action has been overly exaggerated it seems.

Let's review the facts. A military operation was conducted against the 'number two' leader of a terrorist organization slightly into Equadorian territory, very close to the Colombian border and in an area which posed no risk to infraestructure or civilians. Seems understandable that the Colombian army would take this opportunity.

But now, Equadorian President Rafael Correa overreacts claiming an aggression against Equador - ludicrous, as it is so evidently not - and blatantly disconsidering Colombia's national security obligation to act. And of course, shameless populist friend Hugo Chavez goes around exaggerating the issue even more and aggitating the diplomatic situation, in his characteristic but condemnable way.

But no, a war in South America is unimaginable today. Whatever babble Hugo Chavez pronounces, everything will end in just talk. Probably Colombia will make peace with Equador by issuing a public apology for its actions, and while Hugo Chavez will still not be satisfied, no one will give a damn.

This post has been edited by Charles V: 02 March 2008 - 09:10 PM