POLITICS: Columbia Needs Mercs For Venezuelan Ops?

Columbia has a problem, and that problem is named FARC: The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia, a Marxist organization suspected to be supported by socialist-leaning president Hugo Chavez of neighboring Venezuela. A big part of that problem was solved last month with the capture of a FARC cabinet officer- according to Venezuela he was captured in the streets of Caracas, Venezuela though, without permission from the Venezuelan authorities. How do you handle justice across the border without a war? You send mercinaries. Columbia's Vice President has publically invited bounty hunters to come to Columbia and hunt FARC members saying, "The money is there for them".

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I've been posting about Venezuela's leftist leanings and dealings with the Russians, and I said that it was a matter of time till they made America's list. With Columbia inviting mercinaries and bounty hunters, presumably to carry out operations that would be illegal for the Columbian Army, I'd say the opportune moment is approaching. Give it some time, and Columbia and Venezuela will go at it, and America won't be far behind.

[edit on 14-1-2005 by Banshee]

They were already on the list when the coup had succeeded and then failed. Chavez and his cabinet were recorded for their documentary and identified the cause and source, and all they could do was cry. This is always an on-going thing on our list, but the solution lies in UN intervention eventually.

I do not believe this, it is not my opinion, I just wanted to point it out. If the US does get into it with Venezuela, you will endure the cries of 'war for oil' again, and it will be used to further anti-American sentiment. Whether or not this is the reason, it will be used against you. Expect it.

right after 50 years the UN would do what exactly? you cant stop such people with "peacekeeping", its like vietnam in colombia.

Actually I believe that a war with Venezuela would almost certainly be economic in nature. I predicted war on Venezuela specifically because 1. They have oil. 2. They are an economic boon to cuba, and cuba is they key to dominance of the Carribean, which is a cash cow for tourism and possible future harvesting of Methane Hydrates, not to mention that geographically speaking the area controls access to the Gulf of Mexico which makes it strategically important to America's safety.

But if I were to believe you, then my train of thought would lead me to wonder if perhaps I was not so safe up in here in Canada. We have lots of oil too, and lots of other good stuff. I don't want to worry about you guys (more than I already do).

I do remember before the election, Chavez made a big statement to the international press expressing concern that the US would try to influence the results, and warning against it. Did you ever imagine there would be something you and Chavez would agree on?

Hey smarty pants?? www.un.org...

Get with the program by 2021, everyone working in concert together. Enjoy the show, er simulation.

UN has kicked ass and dominated, just because some ring wingers want to make them look like they let crap happen, doesn't mean those weren't results of their manipulation. I mean the UN has Africa on lock down, and you forget that whole Congolese incident....It wasn't just America at the Korean War either, it was the UN armed forces.


Some other guy thinks that we'll get into it with Venuezala when that is Brazil's oil buddy, and Brazil is a mamber of the newly formed BRIC alliance...BRIC meaning Brazil, Russia, India, China... Damn do you guys news a month or years later or somethin like that? This is the age of Oil & Energy wars, or WW3, but it's not really popular to say WW3 around masses who expect it to be bigger than it has to be. What the hell does Cuba have to do with anything? They aren't going to do anything without us seeing, I mean we have an island north of cuba where we have oil operations, I think it was harken, not sure, and then we have guantanamo bay...The cold war is old. This is a corporate thing now. Money is important, politics is just a language or venue to do business on.

You even have some input on your future; www.silentnolonger.org... (click VOTE)



[edit on 14-1-2005 by boombye]

Yeh Canada has resources to be looted also, but Canada does share a white christian heritage and many Americans have actually traveled to Canada and have seen for themselves that it's a demotcratic country, now if the u.s. government would try to build a case against Canada against those pink commies up north, allmost no american on the streets would believe the moral justification that this would be a liberation rather than an armed robbery.

Whew! Thanks for the reassurance. That's what I had hoped for. Almost every single American I've ever met has been a pretty reasonable human being, and usually darn friendly. Maybe I'm just spending to much time on ATS, and it's making me paranoid.

Now, if you could just help us out with those pesky danish, when you have a spare moment.....

I love Canadians, they're so paranoid because their news is so corny...

Moose attacks, badgers running with scissors.. On a real level, Canadians involve themselves in American politics more than we Americans do.



[edit on 14-1-2005 by boombye]

really? like sudan, somolia, colombia, sri lanka, indonesia, etc? oo good job NOT.

what do sudan and somalia have to do with columbia? and what does that have to do with the tsunami problem that effects the other two countries you listed?

What point are you trying to make, because I think you just proved how unintelligent you are.. You seem to be hinting at this ring winged conspiracy which you can see submerging in major media outlets that are owned and operated by known supporters of the same ring winged political party that went against UN rule, because the UN is the only threat to the Neo-con agenda for globalizing the world in their own vision. The same conspiracy that you can see now on CNN or FOX News in which they try to imply and go beyond their journalistic boundries to show you that the UN doesn't do jack, when in fact they do much more than you're supposed to know.

[edit on 14-1-2005 by boombye]

The UN has Africa on lockdown when nobody is fighting. ECOWAS was the intervening authority in Liberia if I remember correctly. The UN's Africa record isn't that great. Rwanda: SNAFU. Somalia: SNAFU. Sudan: BOHICA. (That's, Situation Normal, All Fouled Up. and Bend Over Here It Comes Again.)
The UN can't get anything done without US Marines covering their butt, the American people have so little faith in the UN that they dont want us sending the Marines usually; so when the War Powers Act runs out, the troops come home. That gives the UN a shelf life of a couple months whenever the shooting starts.


Brazil isn't going to cowboy up without the go ahead from its allies, and I really doubt that Russia and China are ready to go to the mat with USA yet. They want to bide their time and break our economy before they get confrontational with us.
They'll give us Venezuela for 10 years because they know by 2020 we can't hold on to it.



What does Cuba have to do anything? You need to think with 50-100 years foresight my friend.
Strategically speaking, Cuba is positioned to dominate air and naval access to a wide range of areas.

If America were weakened and a strong rival had the pull to put serious forces in Cuba, Cuba is positioned to blockade the Gulf of Mexico and control America's naval access to Central America and Venezuela.

This WWIII is more like Cold War II. The opposing side runs around the world starting fires, and you chase them around putting the fires out. Russia, China and friends just need to keep us busy with fires in Iran, North Korea, Indonesia, etc etc. and keep fueling insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq so that we can't accomplish our economic goals through Turkmeinistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Venezuela, etc. If the succeed they'll never have to fight us. We'll shrink back to our hemisphere, they can take back everything they've stood by and watched us grab, then they'll start squeezing us in our own hemisphere by starting trouble in Central America and Mexico.
Thats where Cuba comes into play- the end game.

OK, first of all I would just like to say that this is the most hilarious thing I have ever read. I nearly spit out my beer. BTW, did you hear about the massive polar bear migration down bay street last week? And hey, the beaver is a proud and noble animal, and an industrious little fellow too.

I think we are obsessed with your polictics because as our largest trading partner and neighbour, what you do has a very big impact on us.

Now about those danes....

God bless Canada and their mutant breed of football. You guys just keep clinging to Quebec's leash so that they won't mess around and get themselves invaded by G-dub.

Back on topic though, has anybody else got the idea in their head that if Columbia makes a habit of violating the Venezuelan border, that Columbia just might find itself on the wrong end of sanctions that might lower the standard of living to the point that the rebels became more popular? That would be just lovely- a marxist revolution in Columbia. Russia's Venezuelan friends are too close to the Panama Canal as far as I'm concerned- Columbia going that way would only make make the distant future look more bleak.
Last but not least you have to think about how much drug money the CIA will lose if Columbia weren't playing ball with us anymore.

If the goal were to increase US influence in Cuba, then perhaps the best way to go about it would be to drop the sanctions? You already have a presence there, and with Castro nearing the end of his time, now would be a good time to start building relationships. Not a politically popular move, I'm sure, but you can affect more change from within, than from the outside.

As for Columbia, the last thing you want is the rebels gaining popular support. The whole region is a powder keg, and you just know that further destabilization there will make the Chinese and Russians rub their hand together with glee. And there is a growing number of expat Columbians lobbying our govt and yours too, probably, to do something about the situation. I almost think that any action taken in this region, at this time, could have disastrous consequences.

I think at this time, the best thing the US and Canada can do to protect their similar interests in the area, is to increase their profile in both countries. Not with military forces, but humanitarian and diplomatic ones, to try and bring a calming influence without upsetting the delicate balance that keeps Russian and Chinese influence from increasing and to try to continue to ensure that democracy is the system of choice. The Organization of American States and the Carter Center have already been directing some efforts in this area.

On a personal level I happen to agree. I take the state of affairs between America, Cuba and related nations as a given, simply because the ruling party here in America is so closed to the idea of any other approach. If it were up to me, we'd embrace a strong Cuba, even a socialist one. Wouldn't it be nice for us to have a nice prosperous Spanish speaking nation over here to help us solve problems in the rest of Latin America? Wouldn't it be nice if there was a nice prosperous country in the Gulf of Mexico with the funds and the motivation to be a partner in research on Hurricane forcast and prevention?
There are only two ways to go with Cuba; we can be their best friend or their worst enemy. I think we'd gain more from being their best friend.

I almost forgot to mention: What does Cuba need a military for except for protecting them from America? Getting off of their back would do more to curtail Russian and Chinese influence there than any amount of aggression ever could.



I agree. The resources and lack of development they have make South America and Africa the powderkegs for a colonial war for one thing. On top of that, their important position for influencing Mexico which is a strategic key to US security makes South America even more important and more likely to be hotly contested. Finally, South American issues can become a major political issue in America because Hispanics are America's largest minority.



I think we also have to seek less influence if we really want to gain it. We need to get off of Venezuela and Cuba's backs and be their friends even if they are socialist/communist because that's what will drive them into China and Russia's waiting arms. Stabilizing Columbia should be done mostly through economics- just pump money into their economy through trade and watch the rebels fade. If we did it militarily we'd just end up with tensions in Venezuela.

My thoughts exactly. By being the friends of Cuba, Columbia and Venezuela, we will be able to counteract the Russian and Chinese influence. By giving them the means to build their economy by being the export market they need to develop industries, and doing it in such a manner that lets them believe they are doing it themselves, with the support and encouragement from their good friends up north, they will have no need for the Chinese and Russians.

Now that I think about this, I feel even more strongly that the US govt, and ours too, need to pay a lot more attention to what's going on in this area, and quickly. I think it's very important to the future security of our nations to ensure that both North and South America are free of Chinese and Russian influence. They can have whatever kind of government they want, just so long as when there's a problem, we're the one's the come to for help and advice.