Tensions rising in northern South America

As I predicted back on Oct.23, Venezuela & Columbia are stumbling into a diplomatic quagmire that neither may be able to climb out of. On December 13, free agents (mercenaries) under the pay of Columbian special police, snatched Rodrigo Granda from a Caracas street. Columbia had complained that Venezuela was harboring members of FARC, the Columbian communists insurgents with the name that's fun to say. But Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez had not responded, so the Columbians sent the agents to grab Granda. Now Chavez is miffed. He rejected a call for a summit of the leaders of nearby countries and instead demanded a personal apology from Columbia's President Uribe before agreeing to a sit down. In the meantime, Chavez has suspended economic and diplomatic ties with Columbia and recalled his ambassador from Bogota. I remain concerned that this is all just Chavez seeding the grounds for an invasion and the seizure of the often disputed border region by Venezuelan troops. This is a story worth keeping an eye on. In the latest move, Chavez has now claimed that the whole mess is somehow the fault of the United States. Read more here.