Foreign Policy | Hugo Chavez

For all of his ranting, grandstanding and self prophecy, Hugo Chavez has remained irrelevant to the international community. He is little more than a nuisance to the United States and despite his best efforts to provoke America, American politicians do not lower themselves to his level. For the most part, American's like the rest of the world, view Chavez as a crazy man who is drunk with his own power, resolute on keeping himself the ultimate power of Venezuela, dogged to expand his power over the Latin American region, determined to gain relevance on the international stage at any expense and haphazardly moving Venezuela to communism.

Like most egotistical leaders seeking publicity, Chavez is predictable. He has decreed his end goal for an expansion of power beyond the Venezuelan border and across the central and south american region. Chavez is a mad man who views himself as a saint and will do anything to gain the regional and world recognition he craves.

Hugo Chavez has used Venezuela's vast oil reserves as an economic weapon against the free world, and unknowingly, against the people of Venezuela. While oil has been Chavez primary weapon, despite Chavez persistent saber rattling, oil used as an economic weapon hasn't provided the international recognition Chavez needs to feed his ego or be recognized as either the savior or the de facto leader for all of Latin America.

Chavez failures to appease his ego ratchets up his mad behavior and fanatical actions which is where he may become a true threat to the free world. The overarching Chavez goal that feeds all other Chavez motivations is the spread of communism throughout Latin America. However, since elected President in 1998 Chavez has failed to advance this cause through political influence and may ultimately resort to his new found military strength to succeed.

South America Military Incursion

Chavez has been aggressively acquiring large scale military weapons from Russia since 2001 under the pretence of protecting Venezuela from American attack. Even Chavez himself knows this justification is without merit, which questions the true agenda and end goal for a country with so much poverty to spend so much on military hardware. The most likely and predictable scenario is that if Chavez cannot use his craved personal power to gain regional influence and stature, he may use military power (likely under the guise of a revolutionary anti-West freedom fighter) instead.

On March 3, 2008, Chavez himself sent an alarmingly strong signal which backs up a disproportionately strong military for the region with threats of invasion to neighboring countries. On March 2nd, Columbia slayed FARC rebel commander and terrorist Raul Reyes 1.1 miles into the Ecuador border. Even though the Columbia / Ecuador border is nowhere near Venezuela, Hugo Chavez used a televised address to call the Columbian government a "terrorist state" and move Venezuela toward military action with the below televised order:

"Mr. Defense Minister, move 10 battalions to the border with Colombia for me, immediately — tank battalions. Deploy the air force. We don't want war, but we aren't going to permit the U.S. empire, which is the master (of Colombia) ... to come divide us."

 

Chavez further ranted, "This could be the start of a war in South America." In a threat to Columbian President Uribe, "If it occurs to you to do this in Venezuela, President Uribe, I'll send some Sukhois", referring to Venezuela's new warplanes purchased from Russia.

Despite FARCs 40 year history of torture and killing of civilians and political opponents as well as its wide scale use of kidnapping and distribution of cocaine to finance its terrorist activities, in January 2008 Hugo Chavez made a request that the international community remove FARC from terrorist lists. Chavez is widely known to provide the terrorist group a safe haven just across the Columbia border inside Venezuela and documents recovered from slain FARC leader Raul Reyes computer reveal financial sponsorship of more than $300 million by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez for the terrorist group.

Hugo Chavez Foreign Policy

Absent a military invasion by Venezuela to an American ally which would necessitate an American response, America need do nothing with Hugo Chavez as he will predictably oust himself.

Venezuela is a very divided country. While the split among those who support and do not support Chavez is nearly equal, the vigor in which those who do not support Chavez is extremely high; meaning that the majority who disfavor Chavez not only do not support him but despise him. This large scale disgust and detestation for Chavez provides the most practical, and peaceful, opportunity for a new Venezuelan leader. Unless Chavez launches military incursion on an American ally, the United States need only stand by until Chavez destroys himself. Chavez' senseless political and economic provocations will in time bring the same global embarrassment to the Venezuelan people that he brings to himself. The Venezuelan people are a proud people who put their reputations and credibility above a mad and power hungry sociopath.