Relations Soured Once More: Colombia’s Search for Security Renders the Region Insecure, as Ecuador and Venezuela Fume

By Ashley Powdar

Conflict Spills Over

The episodically fiery relations between Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador once again flamed as a result of Bogotá ordering its forces to covertly penetrate Ecuadorian territory in an effort to destroy a unit of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). A small group of its members, led by second-ranking officer Raúl Reyes, had encamped one mile from the Colombian border. Bogotá’s actions exacerbated already long-standing tensions with its immediate South American neighbors, Venezuela and Ecuador. Even though its resort to arms angered almost all of its South American peers as well as violated the territorial sovereignty of Ecuador, the incursion could be seen as a tactical victory for Bogotá. However, the coup came at the expense of the country’s standing in the rest of the hemisphere. Colombia’s forces not only managed to kill FARC leader Raúl Reyes, but its military units were also able to recover four laptop computers allegedly containing vital information regarding the inner workings of FARC, their political agenda, and links between Venezuelan and Ecuadorian authorities and the guerrilla organization.

In addition to locating and destroying the guerrilla base camp, the Colombian incursion further irritated previously established strains among the Andean counties. Obviously angered that Colombia’s domestic issues were spilling over into their country and further wreaking havoc within the immediate region, Ecuadorian authorities were quick to react. As for Venezuela, the country suffered from a more personal attack. Bogotá officials accused Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez of supporting the FARC by harboring insurgents on Venezuelan soil and providing financial and military assistance to the rebel group. Chávez, in turn, claimed that Bogotá’s allegations were outrageous, sarcastically insinuating that discovering a picture of him and Osama bin Laden would be no less surprising. Yet, U.S. Congressman Connie Mack refuses to write off Chávez’s comments as jokes. Congressman Mack contends that the Venezuelan leader “is using his vast oil wealth to fund terrorism in his own backyard and to make mischief throughout Latin America in order to destabilize democratic governments.”

A Resolute Alliance

Right-wing Colombian Defense Minister Juan Manuel Santos defended the military’s aggressive tactics, stating that the penetration of Ecuador, thereby violating its sovereignty, was a “legitimate military objective.” He asserts that Bogotá’s actions served his country’s national security interests while further attesting to the strong relationship between Columbia and its White House allies. The parallels between the two nations’ military strategies are evident. In 2002, when the United States invaded Afghanistan and Iraq, U.S. officials also contended that its actions represented a ‘legitimate military objective’ to safeguard its citizens against imminent terrorist attacks. However, in reality both incursions were partially based on fabrications that were concocted to advance their respective national interests. Colombian military officials have accused Venezuela’s Chávez of funding and at times harboring FARC guerrillas just as the U.S. accused Iraq of having and perhaps sharing weapons of mass destruction with other ‘terrorist’ groups. Author of Colombia: Hypocrisies of a U.S.-backed Crisis, Michael Fox, contributes to the discussion by noting that “The fabrication of a false reality, in the name of our security has been used time and time again to sway public opinion and to receive results in question.” Although it cannot fully be proven that Chávez has not been complicit with the actions of FARC, it is not irrelevant to imply that Colombia is targeting him for having favored ties to FARC, at least in part to be loyal to U.S. strategic requirements. Thus, it can be assumed that U.S. policy provides a significant amount of the momentum that is behind Colombia’s attempts to weaken Venezuela’s leftist, anti-U.S. development and diplomatic models for the region, as well as its popularity in the international community.

More so, it has been suggested in various reports, that it could very well be that it was the U.S.’s technology and intelligence, as well as the professional services of its Special Forces (or their EU equivalents) that had been seconded to pinpoint the FARC insurgents in Ecuador. It is no small matter that the U.S. annually provides Colombia with more military assistance than the rest of Latin America combined; since 2000, when Plan Colombia was first implemented, U.S. military presence in the country drastically has increased. In fact, Congress has appropriated over $6 billion to Colombia over the program’s eight years of existence.

Peace At Last?

Shortly after Colombia’s March 1st attacks on the FARC rebels, the three countries signed a pacification accord, facilitated by the Organization of American States (OAS), assuring mutual respect for the territorial integrity of the three affected countries. Regardless of the public display of peaceful intentions and respect, it is not difficult to conclude that resentful sentiments continue to characterize Colombia’s relationships with Venezuela and Ecuador and that stormy days are almost certain to lie ahead.