Venezuela Ends U.S. Military Exchange

[Rose Siding]

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez's government has unexpectedly ended a military exchange program with the United States, the U.S. Embassy in Caracas announced Friday.

Venezuelan officials could not be reached immediately to confirm the termination of the program that began exchanging U.S. and Venezuelan military personnel 35 years ago.

"Giving no explanation, the Bolivarian Government of Venezuela abruptly ended U.S. military participation in the bilateral exchange program," the embassy said in a statement. "The U.S. Embassy regrets this unexpected action. The U.S. government hopes to maintain the historical fraternal relations between the two military forces."

An embassy official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there are four U.S. military instructors in Venezuela and roughly 90 Venezuelan military personnel in the United States. The American officers in Venezuela "were basically told to leave the Venezuelan military institutions and bases where they were," the official said in a telephone interview. "We have no explanation as to why this was done."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=589&ncid=734&e=1&u=/ap/20050422/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/venezuela_us_military

[Robbien]

1. It couldn't be

that this military exchange program is a way that the US trains foreign military to favor the US and uses the foreign military trainees as a source of information on the foreign country. And that Venezuela has decided this is not to their benefit.

[applegrove]

2. Well that is going awfully well!

[ConcernedCanuk]

3. So what's the big puzzle ?

.
.
.

United States wants Hugo out, and Venezuela's oil.

Hugo wants to stay, and doesn't want to give his oil and his country to the USA

Best not to have the enemies already in the country, or have your own military poisoned by the BFEE's propaganda

good move Hugo . . :thumbsup:

[Dirk39]

4. Exchange?????

Exchange?
Give us your oil and we destroy any kind of democracy, prepare some fashist plots against your government, prepare a little death-squad here and sent you some freedom-fighting Lyndi Englands to teach your soldiers civilized behaviour. Then we ruin your country economically and transfer everything that's worth a dollar to U.S. corporations.
Only evil communist dictators like Chavez can resist such an offer!

Dirk

[aneerkoinos]

5. Hark hark

If only European NATO members had the guts to do the same. Yankee go home!

There was one smart US (DLC Dem?) imperialist politico complaining about Bush' strict line against ICC and the (non-Nato) countries not giving US exempt from ICC, which is most South-American countries. So as a threat and attempt at extortion US denies some forms of military co-operation with such countries, in practice e.g. refusing to give edumacation for officials from those countries at the School of Americas. Yup, them NeoCon bullies are really that smart, loosing on purpose a chance to indoctrinate a generation of LatAm military hotshoths on antisocial, pro-imperialist bullying, shooting US empire on its leg. And only because (to quote McCain's hallucinations) they afraid that ICC means that bunch of bloody forunners could go after Kissinger.

Really, really really, don't overestimate those Bushista&Neocon idiots. DLC Dems are the smartypants imperialists, the ones to be really really really afraid of.

[reprobate]

15. Agreed. And you can influence it.

Writ e to those you know in europe and tell them to start Telling their governments that it's time the american occupiers went home. That they will no longer be occupied nations. And tell them that we can no longer afford to be policeman to the world. Bush broke us.

[Gyre]

6. He's one hell of a president

AND he's got the biggest dirtbag on the planet to point to (foaming chimp, who else?), and tell his people they're next so they better gird their loins. Venzuela would be a true Vietnam for the US. Ideological enemies primarily make for a determined enemy.

Gyre

[cliss]

7. As the temperature starts to rise.....

a South American Showdown at the Not-OK Corral approaches.

Cast: 1 Rogue Cowboy, "Tex" Sidewinder Bush, who thinks the world is his Oyster. Wild, uncontrolled gun slinger deluxe who shoots first, asks questions never.

The Contender: 1 upstart Late-Comer, Charismatic Southerner named Hugo Chavez. Daredevil, fearless Firebrand who is not afraid of Sidewinder Bush. In fact, most days Chavez can be heard challenging Sidewinder to a duel down at the Caracas Saloon.

Sidewinder is very surprised at this tactic, and Chavez has managed to throw them off for a while.

Setting: somewhere in Venezuela.

As the oil wars heat up around the world, the US focuses its attention on Venezuela. Chavez has made it clear he will not tolerate the US's tentacles in his country. Expected next move: Washington will escalate its rhetoric against "strongman" Chavez. Watch them start accusing him of "fomenting terrorist activities" and so on.

The US is extremely addicted to Venezuelan oil because it's relatively close, compared to Middle East oil.

[AP]

8. I read the Pinochet Files, and it's obvious why Venezuela did this.

The US gov't uses these exchanges to indentify people within the military who might lead coups or opposition parties. They also use them to hook up people in the military industrial complex with people who might become government leaders and in charge of purchasing. It's a way to develop business and political relationships.

If you want people in the military putting their country's best interests before personal profit, it's probably a guood idea to cut off these exchanges.

[lyonn]

10. Makes sense AP

Now what does Bush do? This can't stand. It seems Bush's arrogance only fools half the U.S. population, not the rest of the world. We better start driving those tiny cars, Bush sure isn't going to be any help. Like his dandy energy policy is supposed to do anything but sink us further into this quagmire we are in.

Edit: Can't resist saying that Hugo should be very careful and stay out of sight for awhile.

[Igel]

13. Sure it can stand.

Chavez isn't the first to cancel such things, and he won't be the last.

Nothing will come of it.

[Judi Lynn]

12. How devious. In the meantime, U.S. taxpayers are left with only the spin

fed to the newspapers on US relations with these countries, and we never find out until decades later, if at all.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to read those papers. Hope the Republicans don't get the power to make papers like this off limits to us all again. I really wouldn't put it past them, considering what _Bush has done to hide his own, and his father's, and Reagan's.

On edit:

Decided to look for an image of Vice President Rangel, since I've been reading his quotes for a long time.



Poor thing, he's not as vicious, greedy as a neo-con, and doesn't look like a chicken hawk. How WILL he ever amount to anything?

[AP]

18. The Pinochet File by Peter Kornbluh

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1565845862/qid=1114283569/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/002-7801343-3996851?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

In the picture above Pinochet sort of reminds me of Darth Vader in the opening scene of Star Wars episode IV

[kodi]

26. sounds like the unwritten charter of the School of the Americas

well said AP.

[eridani]

9. This link to a regular paper--

--will probably keep working longer than the Yahoo link http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/world/11465728.htm

[bemildred]

11. This has been going on for a while:

Old story on Free Republic:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1134328/posts

The US has been stalling and Venezuela has been edging them out.

[Robbien]

16. Thanks for that background story

So the article today which states the US is scratching its head having no idea why such a sudden unexpected move was made is just a bunch of bunk. It was not sudden, nor unexpected. We have been asked to leave for five years.

[bemildred]

17. Yeah.

Even since the coup attempt in 2002, at least. After that it
became imperative to prevent subornation of his military, and obvious
if it was not before that such treason would be abetted if possible.

The piece I put up in Editorials explains the importance of the
military in thwarting destabilization attempts and forwarding
his social and governmental agendas.

[kineneb]

14. Huzzah for Chavez!

Although he should watch his back. "Georgie and the Neocons" are going to be unhappy about this.

[wildcat78]

19. Is the Navy still parked off Venezuela?

[Moderator]

20. kick to combine

[norml]

21. Chavez Ends Venezuela Military Cooperation with US

Chavez Ends Venezuela Military Cooperation with US
Sun Apr 24, 2005 04:34 PM ET
Printer Friendly | Email Article | Reprints | RSS (Page 1 of 2)
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By Pascal Fletcher
CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Venezuela is ending military operations and exchanges with the United States, President Hugo Chavez said on Sunday, and he ordered out U.S. instructors he said were trying to foment unrest in the barracks against him.

The left-wing leader, who often accuses Washington of working to topple him, said a small group of U.S. officers who were still teaching and studying in Venezuela had been told to leave. There would be no more joint exercises, he added.

He was confirming a brief announcement by the U.S. embassy on Friday that five U.S. army, air force and navy officers had received orders to end their missions in Venezuela.

"Some of them were waging a campaign in the Venezuelan military ... making comments, talking to Venezuelan soldiers, criticizing the president of Venezuela... it's better for them to leave," Chavez said in a television broadcast.



snip



http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=8274695

[MADem]

22. I'm shocked, SHOCKED

...not.

Took him long enough!

[norml]

24. I just found that this has already been posted in LBN.

I've already alerted the mods, and the threads will soon be combined.

[Earth_First]

23. Iraq, take notice...

[BeHereNow]

25. Go Hugo! Kick the arrogant bastards OUT!

How fucking arrogant!
They are guests in the country and have the
nerve to bash Chavez to his troops.
Can you imagine the fate of someone
doing that in this country?
BHN

[Judi Lynn]

27. Now I've heard everything.Bush won't accept Chavez's decision

to end the military exchange. They're really pushing it, aren't they? This is very crude, very obvious, very much the bully move:

US offers to keep military cooperation with Venezuela

www.chinaview.cn 2005-04-26 10:31:02

CARACAS, April 25 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States is ready to keep military cooperation with Venezuela, US ambassador to Caracas William Brownfield said on Monday.

"We expect to keep this program, even unilaterally," he said, adding that "the government of the United States still welcomes the Venezuelan military to participate in programs in the United States."

There are still 90 Venezuelan military personnel in the US, he said.

He made the remarks following an announcement by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Sunday to suspend the country's military exchange program with the United States, citing US military instructors' fomenting activities against its government and army.

Also on Monday, Venezuela's Minister of Energy and Petroleum Rafael Ramirez said his country refused to be "colonized" by anyone else.
(snip/...)

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-04/26/content_2878837.htm

Hope Chavez can step out of the way of this nasty bit of agression. He has already stated Venezuela's position. No reason he should have to keep the subject open while _Bush calls the shots.

What's in it for Venezuela, anyway? This might have been o.k. for the opposition forces, back when they used to allow CIA men, like bomber Luis Posada Carriles to run various departments in their Secret Service, but my God, time has changed. The Venezuelan people have ####### spoken, they want their country back.

[bemildred]

28. What does "unilateral cooperation" mean, anyway?

:rofl: :rofl:

[StaggerLee]

29. Oops

Can't nominate. Story's too old.

:(