Chavez Picks a New Fight, With Colombia

Nationalistic economic policies have led to shortages of staples including milk and eggs, and high inflation rates in Venezuela, the highest in South America. Colombia President Álvaro Uribe and Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez have squabbled over both rebels and a recent free-trade pact between Colombia and the US, yet to be approved by Congress. After the killing of a Colombian rebel leader inside Ecuador, Chávez joined Ecuador in withdrawing diplomats from Colombia and ordering troops to the border. Colombia responded with evidence suggesting that Chávez had funded the rebels. The quarrel probably won’t lead to outright war, suggests one analyst, but could diminish Chávez’s regional influence. Colombia sits between Venezuela and Ecuador, and the three nations were once one, the Republic of Grand Colombia ruled by Simón Bolívar, until they split in 1830. Chávez’s nationalist politics demonstrate that, unlike Bolívar, he’s a divider for the region and not a uniter. – YaleGlobal