quatrotritikali

Chavez warns of war with Colombia
By IAN JAMES, Associated Press Writer
4 minutes ago


CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez ordered tanks and thousands of troops on Sunday to the border with Colombia, accusing it of pushing South America to the brink of war by killing a top rebel leader on Ecuadorean soil.

Denouncing Colombia's slaying of the rebel commander in a cross-border raid into Ecuador, Chavez said Venezuela will respond militarily if Colombia violates its border. He ordered Venezuela's embassy in Bogota closed.

In protest, Ecuador withdrew its ambassador from Bogota, ordered Colombia's top diplomat expelled and ordered the mobilization of troops to the border with Colombia.

Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, said Colombia deliberately carried out the strike beyond its borders. "There is no justification," Correa said Sunday night, snubbing an earlier announcement from Colombia that it would apologize for the incursion.

"This could be the start of a war in South America," Chavez said. He warned Uribe: "If it occurs to you to do this in Venezuela, President Uribe, I'll send some Sukhois" — Russian warplanes recently bought by Venezuela.

The situation tested already tense relations between Venezuela and Colombia, though cross-border trade has not yet been seriously affected.

Chavez did not specify how many troops was sending to the border. A Venezuelan battalion traditionally has roughly 600 soldiers.

Chavez warns of war with Colombia - Yahoo! News
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Are those the drumbeats of war I hear?

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galenrox

**** Hugo Chavez, he wants war because he wants to galvanize his support through the creation of an external threat. Colombia has done nothing wrong, FARC are terrorists, and it'd be outright retarded to allow the Colombian border to be a bullet proof shield for them. Colombia did not attack Ecuadorians, and if they do attack on Venezuelan soil it will be against Colombian terrorists who the Venezuelan government is harboring, not against Venezuelans.

If anyone is in a position to declare a just war its the Colombians, the Venezuelans and Ecuadorians are harboring terrorists and taking extreme and deliberate steps to undermine the Uribe government. So I reiterate, **** Chavez.

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John1234

Hmm where have i seen this before?

Joby

I really hope he doesn't do this. Galenrox is right.

He'd be no better than our President if he did.

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When it's advocated that the government help the poor, it's un-American socialism.

When the government helps millionaires, it's to save the American dream.

galenrox

Is there another thread for this? I really can't believe so few people care about **** potentially this huge.

independent_thinker2002

Not to minimize the situation, but the lack of media attention coupled with the belief that this is business as usual in that region is probably why there is a lack of interest. Personally, I don't find it as huge as Rwanda/Darfur.

On the lighter side, we could send troops so protestors could call it a war for coke.

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galenrox

War against coke, Uribe's been very accommodating in the war on drugs. That speaks more poorly about us than him.

It's bigger because it's a war between major economies within our hemisphere that will force polarization in a region where anti-Bretton Woods sentiment has been hugely on the rise.

independent_thinker2002

This is the fundamental difference between you and I. You put economies before genocides.

galenrox

I think a more apt description is that I like to look at the big picture. Genocide is always terrible. The implications of assuming a role in the world where it is not only a justifiable aim but our responsibility to stop it is even worse, as we've seen throughout history the implications of nations attempting to assume the role of world police.
We live in a world where literally billions of lives are dependent upon the functionality of the global economy for their survival. When you see the big picture when you say I care more about the economy than genocides that's like saying I care more about millions or even billions of lives more than hundreds of thousands, which is only rational.

independent_thinker2002

I see your point. I disagree. I am more worried about immediate deaths than I am potential deaths. I don't drink coffee of do coke. I am all for getting away from oil. Columbia and Ecuador have had violence since I can remember. Our CIA has been involved with that just as long.

Before we invaded Iraq, oil was $36/barrel and the Euro was $.84. Now oil is $103/barrel and the Euro is $1.55. That is huge. People thought that Iraq was more important to the world economy than genocide. It appears that isn't the case. I think the same thing applies here.