Chavez supported FARC?

[DeepIron]

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsO...27633020080303

Colombia's police chief, Gen. Oscar Naranjo, said documents found at the FARC camp in Ecuador showed evidence that Chavez gave the rebels $300 million and had suggested a deal to supply them with old rifles.

Interesting... FARC grabs hostages, Chavez meets with FARC under guise of negotiation for hostage release, offers FARC $300M and gun deal, gets a few hostages released to look good... Displays "righteous indignation" at Ecuador excursion and immediately escalates...

If true, sounds like 'ol Hugo is trying to draw Columbia and their ally, the US into a war...

[Jimbuna]

Wouldn't suprise me....he's as nutty as a fruit cake

[JSLTIGER]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Wouldn't suprise me....he's as nutty as a fruit cake

We'll see if he actually steps down as constitutionally mandated in 2013...

[DeepIron]

Ok Chavez is a blustering, sabre-rattling buffoon... But I don't count him out yet...

What concerns me is this, (speculating) IF Chavez does start a military incident in Columbia, how is the US going to respond? We are heavily committed in the Middle East and Afghanistan in the "War on Terror". Our military reserves are almost spent... We will be hardpressed to make a show of it in SA, an area in which we have been accused of ignoring in our foreign policy for years.

Failure to respond will only discredit us some more and could add support to regimes hostile to US and other democratic governments in SA.

[SUBMAN1]

The war will rage for a few days, but thats no matter. The US should probaperly take the matter before the UN and get world support or at least NATO support against Chavez. THough I'd like to have the US crush him on their own, to make him look like a clown to the entire International community, this one proper step needs to be taken first. If the US goes it alone, Chevez will claim US Imperialism once again.

The Chess game is in motion.

-S

[Seth8530]

Umm what do yall think the chances of war betweem Colombia, venezuala and ecuador are?

[mrbeast]

I doubt it will come to war.

Chavez has got too much to lose. Any war would be bound to interupt oil exports and Venezuala depends on oil for the bulk of its income. Also there is a lot of important trade with Columbia including food imports which Chavez needs to off set food shortages.

Is there any more evidence for Venezulan material support of FARC besides the say so of a Columbian police chief? Have they presented the documents they claim they found for inspection?

[Tchocky]

THough I'd like to have the US crush him on their own, to make him look like a clown to the entire International community, this one proper step needs to be taken first. If the US goes it alone, Chevez will claim US Imperialism once again.

I doubt Chavez will come off the worse if the US "crushes" him. I also doubt that the "imperialism" taunt will be exclusive to Chavez either.

Democracy..yay.

[bradclark1]

Originally Posted by DeepIron

Ok Chavez is a blustering, sabre-rattling buffoon... But I don't count him out yet...

What concerns me is this, (speculating) IF Chavez does start a military incident in Columbia, how is the US going to respond? We are heavily committed in the Middle East and Afghanistan in the "War on Terror". Our military reserves are almost spent... We will be hardpressed to make a show of it in SA, an area in which we have been accused of ignoring in our foreign policy for years.

Failure to respond will only discredit us some more and could add support to regimes hostile to US and other democratic governments in SA.

Start an airlift of military supplies, park a squadron or two of F-15's and A-10's with support elements at their airport, and send in some SF advisors and FAC's.
That will send the message. We'll get flack for war mongering from supporters of Chavez but we can live with that.

[HunterICX]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Wouldn't suprise me....he's as nutty as a fruit cake

its a dramatic overreacting clown

HunterICX

[mapuc]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Wouldn't suprise me....he's as nutty as a fruit cake

You know that's an insult towards ....................................the fruit cake


Markus

[Jimbuna]

Fruit cakes have been known to get lodged in throats before.

Tchocky is right about easily how international public opinion can be manipulated.

[mrbeast]

Don't think it would need much manipulation. A superpower like the US crushing a pretty weak country like Venezuela; just doesn't look good. Chavez might be a left wing demagogue but he poses little real threat to the US.

[bradclark1]

We wouldn't crush him. That's giving him more attention than he deserves. We would probably support the hell out of Columbia with supplies and combat support.

[Tchocky]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Fruit cakes have been known to get lodged in throats before.

Tchocky is right about easily how international public opinion can be manipulated.

Not so much manipulation as plain reaction.
US goes off and wreaks havoc in a country, when it is absolutely none of their business to do so, the world will react.

Originally Posted by Brad

Supporting a country that is being attacked by two countries for killing a kidnapping, and murdering terrorist leader has got absolutely zero to do with Cold War proxies.

Territorial incursions into soveriegn nations that, by the looks of things, have wrecked hostage negotiations is a big deal.
A State Department spokesman urged the world to recognise Colombia's right to defend itself. What about Ecuador's right not to be invaded?