An interesting admission by Latin America’s premier socialist caudillo:
The Venezuelan president said ending the rebellion could lead to a peace process between the rebels and the Colombian government.
“The guerrilla war is history,” he said. “At this moment in Latin America, an armed guerrilla movement is out of place.”
Read it all: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7443080.stm
Of course he has not given up on instituting socialism or communism in his own country, nor has he given up fomenting it abroad. But he has suffered a big setback in Colombia and he’s backing off for now. It’s just too bad there’s no one left in Venezuela who’d risk overthrowing Chavez; not when America refused to back the previous attempt (a shameful failure of foreign policy if there ever was one).
This sudden change of heart has to do with Colombia’s successful counter-insurgency startegies. In particular the evidence uncovered by Colombia’s attack on a FARC base in Ecuador recently. Also COlombia has dispatched several high officials within FARC and has caused several others to surrender. Well done all around.