Chavez and the Narcopresident. Dancing with the Devil?

I don´t know about everyone else in that room at Miraflores 2 days ago at the press conference, but my ears pirked up pretty fast when the talk drifted to the Narcopresident in the Narcostate. A new pipeline, a new friendship with the state to the west. The Gaseoducto. The alignment of a state with massive proven petroleum reserves with a ¨reserve¨ state. Designed to carry Venezuelan gas into the Colombian infrastructure, it would allow Central American states access, as well as the countries of Asia. The details weren´t discussed as to how to and who will protect this new line, perhaps the US will provide another couple hundred million? Is this truly the realization of the Bolivarian dream, or are we doing a complicated dance that could end in tragedy?

Let´s remember, a deputy in the Colombian assembly recently suggested that the provisions of the OAS charter be enacted in order to facilitate an invasion of Venezuela. Uribe´s answer to Bolivarian circles is the Red de Informantes, 1 million Colombian citizens prepared to rat out any possible participant in the struggle for social change to the military, in the interest of stability. Chavez garnered the support of the poor military rank and file, Uribe´s biggest supporters are the Paramilitary Death Squads.

Now we are presented with a gaseoducto, it will open the Asian economy to Venezuelan natural gas. Colombian ports will open to Venezuelan product, guaranteeing both countries prosperity and the Asian economies access to natural gas directly from the source.

It makes sense from a fiscal point of view. With a great deal of luck, by the time the ´ducto is done, Uribe will be a terrible memory, but history doesn´t always work that way. I just get the willies, Chavez giving any support to the narcopresidency next door.

Chavez is, quite clearly, trying to secure himself by making good with his neighbors, although I don´t think there´s much fear of a Colombian invasion, given the mass of unhappy armed people between Bogotá and Caracas. It still makes me a little uneasy.