By Kiraz Janicle
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/analysis/4922
The possibility of an imperialist war in the Americas is a step closer since last October 30, when Colombia and the United States finalized a ten-year accord allowing the USA to massively expand its military presence in the Latin American nation.
This move comes as the US seeks to regain its hegemony over Latin America – which has declined over the past decade in the context of continent-wide rebellion against neo-liberalism spearheaded by the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela, led by President Hugo Chavez.
In order to regain control of its "backyard", the US is increasingly resorting to more interventionist measures. This is reflected by the recent military coup in Honduras, destabilization of progressive governments in Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Paraguay and a massive military build-up in the region, in Panama and the revitalization of its Fourth Fleet.
Over the past decade the Venezuelan government, which is the fifth largest exporter of oil in the world, has used its control over this resource to massively increase its social spending. This has resulted in significant achievements, such as poverty levels being reduced by over half, the eradication of illiteracy, and free universal education and health care for the poor.
In 2005 Chavez declared that the Venezuelan revolution is socialist and created the urban land communities, health committees, grass roots assemblies, communes, workers' councils and communal councils.
Hand in hand with the US military build-up comes the US promoted fraudulent propaganda that the Chavez government is but a "dictatorship" and that Venezuela promotes drug trafficking, and that it supplies arms to the left-wing guerillas in Colombia.
The US has 4 military air bases, three army bases as well as private civilian airports across Columbia.
The US Military financial documents tell this story: "The Pentagon Budget for 2010 seeks an array of access arrangements for the US military contingency operations, logistics, as well as training the Central-South American forces and assigned over $80 Million to construct military bases.
While an armed conflict is possible, the current tactic of the Obama administration is to continue undermining and destabilizing Venezuela.
A war would also be dangerous for US imperialism, already bogged down in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Even a proxy war via Colombia would spiral out of control. Latin America’s poor, downtrodden and marginalized have had a taste of independence and they would fight back!
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