Between focusing on more violence in the Middle East and the economic slowdown hitting home; news of a conflict brewing south of the hemisphere may have escaped some of us. Raul Reyes, a top leader of Colombian terrorist organization, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, was recently assassinated in Ecuador by Columbian troops.
Even without considering the potential for violence and instability in the region or its economic and political implications, it was bad enough the little guys were about to play war without inviting us. We didn’t even get to play Big Daddy and send everybody to their beds or take away their allowance.
It may seem just a minor controversy and military game of blame, but there is more to it that should concern us as a nation, as its effects will hit us sooner rather than later.
What should have been a simple matter of diplomatic misunderstanding and clean up was immediately recognized by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez as an opportunity to turn the tables against the United States and its main ally in the region, Colombia, while enhancing his battered profile as a beacon of Latin American policy-making.
His poor judgment and big mouth had driven his agenda and popularity to new lows; a regional conflict was something he could neither resist nor afford not being a part of. His hot headed and unsurprising rhetoric soon ignited the resolve of his Ecuadorian puppet, President of the Republic of Ecuador Rafael Correa, who needed to be brought in as the only voice who could officially argue the cause of border defense before the leaders of the Latin American community.
It did not matter that they were in fact mourning the death of a criminal and defending the "right" of terrorists to seek refuge outside of the Colombian borders, taking it under the cover of national sovereignty was enough, since it is such a sensitive topic and a valid argument in a region with a long and recently active history of border disputes. Under such circumstances, the American doctrine of getting the bad guys by any means, wherever they are, no matter the efficacy or sense of the action, actually landed Colombia in hot water with its neighbors.
The open and complete backing of the United States, which in the past would have been more than enough, did not deter Chavez and Carrea from escalating the conflict.
In resolving the impasse, the leaders of the region neither sought nor wanted the voice or opinion of the United States. Furthermore, some are now supporting a regional unity away from American influence. With left-wing nationalism and a cadre of low-educated, poverty-stricken masses, the vacuum that has now opened could be rather dangerous for our security and interests.
Serious diplomacy and an effective plan for Latin America is now needed, and it should be a priority not only for what is left of this government, but more importantly for the next one. Despite being partly President Bush’s fault, it is also the fault of some of our local leaders, for their voices of dissent are heard and felt by our detractors and enemies.
The war on terrorism continues and division weakens us. We may be paying now for the failed Middle Eastern policies of the Cold War era and for our unhealthy hunger for oil. The tide is proving tough, albeit not impossible, to turn in our favor. We should learn from that and make sure Latin America does not get lost to extremism and anti-Americanism for the danger would be too close to home, and as a nation we are not ready to take on the hardships of an economic recession, let alone the hardships of war.
