The Granda Kidnapping Explodes

[bemildred]

A major diplomatic and political conflict has exploded between Colombia and Venezuela after the revelation of a Colombian government covert operation in Venezuela, involving the recruitment of Venezuelan military and security officers in the kidnapping of a Colombian leftist leader. Following an investigation by the Venezuelan Ministry of Interior and reports and testimony from journalists and other knowledgeable political observers it was determined that the highest echelons of the Colombian government, including President Uribe, planned and executed this onslaught on Venezuelan sovereignty.
CounterPunch

[papau]

1. Did not make AP wire - I wonder why not?

sigh...

nice catch bemildred

:-)

[On the Road]

2. Bush's Followers are Learning Well:

"What is new and more ominous is that the Uribe regime's de facto policy of extra-territoriality has been converted into a de jure strategic doctrine of unilateral military intervention. Colombia no longer pretends to be engaged in a "covert" selective policy of violating other countries sovereignty but has publicly declared the supremacy of its laws and the right to apply them anywhere in the world where it unilaterally declares its case for national security. Colombia's gross violations of Venezuelan and Ecuadorian sovereignty is a policy clearly endorsed and dictated at the highest levels of the Colombian state ­ exclusively the prerogative of President Uribe ­ and endorsed at the highest level of the US government by its principal diplomatic spokesperson in Colombia, Ambassador Woods ("We endorse Uribe's action 100%"). The 'Granda incident' is not simply an isolated diplomatic incident which can be resolved through good faith bilateral negotiations. The kidnapping is part of a larger strategy involving preparations ­ ideological, political and military ­ for a large-scale, political-military confrontation with Venezuela."

[bemildred]

3. Well, I thought his analysis was interesting.

I agree with it for the most part, but think he gets a bit far afield.

The base point is that Uribe and Plan Colombia have failed to move the
situation within Colombia forward despite great expense and violence
committed. This change in policy is an admission of that failure and
an attempt to create a distraction and a pretext for new initiatives.
It is a very Bushite policy, and like Bushite policies elsewhere in the
world likely to fail.

It is sort of Dumbsfeldt-like, if you can't solve a problem, make it
bigger. Plan Colombia failed, so lets pick a fight with Venezuela, we
don't like Chavez anyway.

His comments on Lula and Brazil, too are interesting. It is worth
keeping in mind that Chavez' revolution is a threat to elites in other
Latin American countries.

Chavez' goal has to become the isolation and internal collapse of the
US and Colombian regimes, he will never have peace otherwise, they
will just continue to escalate. It will be interesting to see how he
goes about it.