The Columbian president Alvaro Uribe is the last ally of the USA in
Latin America. Having massacred a number of FARC guerrilla leaders
inside Ecuador territory, his regime is accusing the Ecuadorian
government of holding secret meetings with the guerillas and also
accusing Venezuela of giving them refuge to regroup before returning
to Columbia. Both the Ecuador and the Venezuela governments are
massing thousands of troops on their borders with Columbia to prevent
further incursions.

Given that the Chavez government has only just stopped oil supplies to
Exxon because of the firm's lawsuit seizing Venezuelan assets abroad,
are we witnessing the setting up of a planned scenario of US
provocation? Clashes between Columbian forces and Venezuelan forces
could provide a pretext for the US military to move against Chavez,
taking advantage of reduced support in the population and economic
shortages caused by the local ruling class. We having been expecting
some counter-measures by the US rulers against Chavez, but who have
been unable to act for some years. Could this be the beginning of
a US attempt to rollback the leftward tide in Latin America? Or would
such an attempt backfire and accelerate the revolution?