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What is going on among Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador?

In 1821, two years after their independence from Spain; Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama became La Gran Colombia (The Great Colombia), a whole nation that lasted less than two decades due to the disagreements of the two political trends, Federalism and Centralism, and the regional tension. In 1829 Venezuela became independent from Colombia followed by Ecuados in 1831. In 1903 Panama separated from Colombia, being backed by the United States who was concerned in the zone because it wanted to build up the Panama Canal there. Since then the diplomatic relations between Colombia and each one of the separated nations has been relatively good with some border brushes with Venezuela;but we Colombians consider Venezuela, Ecuador and Panama "Sister Nations".


But things have changed in the last years regarding to Venezuela and Ecuador. They do not seem to be sisters of Colombia since their governments have moved away from ours. In 1999 Hugo Chavez, a Venezuelan Army colonel, became the president of Venezuela. His government moved to socialist politics which disagrees with the Colombian goverment's politics. The same happened in when Rafael Correa became the president of Ecuador, also with socialistic politics that are opposite to the capitalis system of the United States and its allies such as Colombia. A diference in the political orientation is the main problen between Colombia and its two neighbors.

Colombia and Venezuala have had some brushes with each othe in the last years due to trespassing of the common border by goverment agents from the two parts. With Ecuador our brushes are new. Now Colombia blames Venezuela and Ecuador's governments for a suposed support tothe left-winged guerrilla FARC, and Chavez and Correa,at the same time, blame Colombian president Alvaro Uribe for his supposed paramilitar and narcotrafic politics.

The worst stage in the relations between Colombia and Venezuela ann Ecuador began the 1st of March, 2008 when the Colombian military raided a FARC's camp in Ecuatorian soil where besides the FARC second leader Raul Reyes died with some other Colombians, Ecuatorians and even some Mexicans hosted at the camp. Ecuador broke off diplomatics relations with Colombia putting forward that Colombia had violated its sovereignty. Venezuela took side of the affair and blame Colombia for the attack and supported Ecuador by broke off diplomatics relations with Colombia. Caracas withdrew his ambassador in Bogota. Later, in the next days' Summit of Rio in Dominican Republic, Uribe and Chavez conciliated but it did not happen between Correa and Uribe.

The brushes between the government of Colombia and the ones from Venezuela and Ecuador have been reflected through the interchange of declarations and even insults among the presidents. Chavez has been the most remarkable about it, being Uribe the most prudent. Chavez defents and praises his allies governments suchs as Ecuador, Bolivia, Cuba in the region, and Rusia and Iran who he has military treatments with; but charges against his enemy governments such as Colombia and Mexico whose presidents he calls "Cubs of the Empire (USA)" and the United States whose former president George W. Bush he has called "Devil" and Mr. Donkey".

Nowadays the brushes have come back since Colombia signed the Defence Cooperation Agreement with the United States in wich Colombia allows the USA to use and equip seven (or more) Colombian military bases in order to continue with its fight against narcotrafic and terrorism in South America, due to the closing of the US military base in Manta, Ecuador which was carrying out the task. Chaves, Correa and Bolivia's president, Evo Morales, think that the Colombian desicion about it is mistaken since it means to support the US policies of imperialism in South America. Colombia and the United States reply by making clear that the agreement is bilateral, what means that it is only between the two nations who signed it up and has noting to do with other nations.

Let see what happens. Meanwhile the congresses of Colombia and the United States are checking out the agreement. I think that only when the agreement will be carry out we will know who was right. Time will tell!
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