War of words between Chávez and US heats up

[__Kratos__]

Accusations of spying and tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats might seem the stuff of historic ideological battles between Washington and Moscow. But such cold war antics look set to take centre-stage in the saga of deteriorating ties between the US and Venezuela, home to the largest energy reserves in the Americas.

At the weekend, Hugo Chávez, Venezuelan president warned Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state, against trying to build an international alliance to curb his government’s expanding tentacles of influence across Latin America.

“I will sting those who rattle me, so don’t mess with me, Condoleezza,’’ he said, blowing Ms Rice a kiss during his Sunday television programme.

On Friday, he insisted that the US would receive “no more oil” if it “crossed the line” in its supposed efforts to undermine his “revolution”.

The volley of threats follows Mr Chávez’s expulsion two weeks ago of the US’s naval attaché in Caracas on allegations of co-opting Venezuelan officers into passing secrets to the Pentagon. The US reciprocated with the expulsion of the chief of staff at Venezuela’s embassy in Washington.

Analysts believe some of the recent provocations come because Mr Chávez is seeking to radicalise his anti-imperialist credentials ahead of elections in December. He has already begun his re-election campaign by insisting that his true opponent will be George W. Bush.

“Relations with the US are deteriorating and they are going to get worse,’’ says Adolfo Salguiero, an international relations analyst in Caracas. “At some point this year we could well face a grave diplomatic crisis as Chávez attempts to rally nationalist sentiment ahead of the election.’’

Mr Chávez, who has been in power for seven years, recently reiterated his prediction of an inevitable showdown with the US. He may be right. US officials have in recent weeks determined that the Venezuelan president is not only their top political irritant in the region, but that he is also undermining US interests.

Ms Rice said last week that the US must pursue an “inoculation strategy’’ to curb Mr Chávez’s oil-funded influence in the region. “A united front against some of the things that Venezuela gets involved in’’ was needed to contain Mr Chávez’s activism in Latin America, Ms Rice told the House of Representatives.

Caracas has financed billions of dollars’ worth of projects in the region, and Mr Chávez has made clear his support for candidates and movements with an anti-US stance.

He has in the past threatened to sever oil supplies to the US, even if most analysts have dismissed such a threat as economic madness. Venezuelan oil is especially heavy and can only be processed in US-based refineries owned by Citgo, the Venezuelan state-owned oil company’s refining and marketing subsidiary in the US.

However, the US Government Accountability Office, Congress’s non-partisan investigative agency, is examining the risks for the US economy of losing its most secure supplier of oil.

Ms Rice’s recommendation appears to put flesh on the bones of the idea of “containing Chávez’’ suggested a year ago by only the most hawkish members within the Bush administration.

People familiar with the policy development in Washington say it has gelled as a result of recent appointments in the area of security. “The policy is to convince the governments of South America that Chávez is a danger to the hemisphere, if not to the US,’’ said a US security consultant who has been party to the discussions.

Robert Zoellick, deputy secretary of state, is believed to have advised Ms Rice recently of the risk of neglecting Latin America.

Similar views have been taken, the consultant said, by Porter Goss, chief of the Central Intelligence Agency, John Negroponte, director of national intelligence, and Patrick Maher, the national intelligence officer for the western hemisphere.

The US has vetoed the sale to Venezuela of military equipment from Spain and Brazil, on the grounds that the hardware contains US-made components. Meanwhile, Mr Chávez has extended warm relations to radical movements in the Middle East. Venezuela said recently that it would welcome leaders of Hamas, the militant Palestinian Islamic group. It is also backing Iran’s position on its nuclear programme.

A new cold war would seem to be in the making.

Source

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So much fun with Mr. Chávez around.

[Saint Macabre]

^indeed...

[Mekorig]

Well. I have mied feeling about Chavez. He is to demagogic for my personal tatse, but he had do a great work for his country, and now is idea of a Latin America political union against USA influence in the sub-continent is growing really fast, among commom people, and among the political circles. I dont think the USa will convince too much SA goverments about "The dangerous Mr. Chavez".

[Civilization]

I saw on cnn.com today that Bush was making speeches on "alternative energy" sources. Of course, he didn't reveal all of the energy sources that would "change America". He did hint at the future unnecessity of oil, though. Hmmm. I suppose the next logical step would be to tell Chavez, "Look dude, we don't need your oil. By the way, we feel that you are a threat to everyone."

[PLO]

but apparently they do need their oil, not becuase they want to consume it, but a unified league of states in South America NOT using the dollar will cripple the dollar much like what will happen in the middle east gets a chance to trade in euros or most likely yen.

its funny how someone who is a socialist is seen as "dangerous" when basicaly socialism is the best system of governing we have.

[Imaginary Friend]

Is this not the same dictator that an American clergyman declared worthy of assassination?! Is this not the same dictator so insulted, as to demand said clergyman apologize for those words?

“I will sting those who rattle me, so don’t mess with me, Condoleeza,’’ he said, blowing Ms Rice a kiss during his Sunday television programme.

In the words of Riddick ("Pitch Black") paraphrased to suit: "Don't know who he's ****in with!"

Given we're already posturing a cause to invade Iran because, well hell since we're already "next door", Boy-O is sorely ignorant of the Geography that puts him in the cross hairs of this American regime! Besides that; OIL! Which boasts the incentive, in and of itself, to blow him a kiss right before it blows him away. (Again, see: Iraq)

My prediction: In less than 2 years Hugo Chávez and this issue will be referred to in past tense. As in that later years broadcast by that clergyman mentioned before, who will then have cause to say:"Remember when Hugo was alive ...."

[Bella-Angelique]

So you figured out that Robertson was just paroting what he heard others saying.

There is a lot of top brass in Virginia.

Robertson has always dropped his little "I am an insider" hints through out most of the years of his broadcasst from his overwhelming vanity.

He even got so carried away at one point he ran for president.

Assasination of Chavez would be a major mistake, but our corrupt and incompetant government has been making nothing but bad calls for quite a very long time now.

Business cannot run a government, that is not the nature of business, especially US business.

US business is about short term profit and inflating stock values and nothing else. Preserving the nation and protecting the people is not intheir equations, only protecting corporate "American interests" for so called American investors.

[Mekorig]

I am taking aneutral position here, as i am not a socialist. Just i clrify a point.

chavez is not a dictator. He was elected in open and free election bythe people, no matter what some high class and old politic groups said.

Second: The reputation of the EEUU in SA is already low, and an "accidental" death for Chavez will cause a great uproar from the comon people.

call him paranoid or whatever other adjetive you want, but the past actions of the EEUU in South America had left the population weary of the USA.