US-Venezuelan Relations Strained Further
With much of US oil production temporarily shut down due to Hurricane Ike there could not have been a worse time for the US’ relationship with Venezuela to be strained further. But it has.
As reported by The New York Times:
The United States stepped up the diplomatic skirmish with its left-wing adversaries in Latin America on Friday, saying it would expel the Venezuelan ambassador and declaring that Venezuela’s top two intelligence officials had supported the “narco-terrorist activities” of rebels in the region.
The moves heightened the political tensions that have been building between the United States, Venezuela and Bolivia in recent days. On Wednesday, Bolivia’s embattled president, Evo Morales, expelled the American ambassador there, Philip S. Goldberg, accusing him of supporting rebellious groups in eastern Bolivia.
Then on Thursday, President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela said he was expelling the American ambassador to his country, Patrick Duddy, contending that an American-supported coup plot had been discovered.
The State Department responded by declaring Bolivia’s ambassador to Washington persona non grata. Then on Friday morning, it said it would expel Venezuela’s ambassador, while the Treasury Department accused the Venezuelan intelligence officials of aiding Colombia’s largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, “even as it terrorized and kidnapped innocents.”
The latest moves represent a low point in Venezuela’s political relations with the United States, which imported more than $40 billion in oil from Venezuela last year. Trade between the countries has remained resilient, topping $50 billion in 2007, despite repeated threats by Mr. Chávez to halt oil exports to the United States, a warning he reiterated on Thursday
In her post “We live in a global village“, Political Voices of Women blogger Paula Hall raises the question of why the US Presidential Candidates have seldom addressed this issue:
It is understandable that the American foreign policies are focused on the Middle East. After all, thousands of American soldiers and millions of Iraqis have died in the Iraq war. But I am curious to know what do the two candidates for the White House think about Latin American countries.
I read today that the US Ambassador in Venezuela has 72 hours to leave the country. The Venezuelan President, Hugo Chaves, is expelling the American Ambassador. So is the Bolivian President, Evo Morales. And Venezuela is a major oil supplier to the United Sates, which it means America, is the number one client of Venezuela.
Not to mention Brazil’s large oil exports to the US. And Brazil is also having problems with Bolivia over natural gas production. The border between the two countries has been closed and relations are at it worst ever.
With all the talk about renewable energy, gas prices and so forth, how can the United States overlooks such countries? We live in a global village under a global economy. All decisions are important and the consequences of it will affect us all.
What are your thoughts on the US’ Latin American foreign relations policy?
