The Andes arms race

Posted By Jordana Timerman Monday, November 9, 2009 - 6:05 PM Share

The Berlin Wall fell twenty years ago, and the Cold War itself ended soon after, but if you're feeling nostalgic, tune into the Cold War of the Andes: somewhat more farcical and definitely less likely to end in nuclear annihilation, but riveting nonetheless.

With Venezuelan troops lining up on the Colombian border, Peruvian officials' urging fellow South American countries to reduce military spending arms purchasing, in addition to creating a regional security force, is making a lot more sense. Peruvian officials indicated that Brazilian President Lula was receptive to the proposal in a recent meeting, and will be meeting with Colombian and Paraguayan presidents in the next week.

Although the campaign should be seen in light of Peruvian suspicion of neighboring Chile, military spending in many South American countries has increased in recent years. Some estimates place 2008 spending at $60 billion, which would be well over double the amounts spent in 2003. According to American calculations, Brazil, Venezuela, Chile and Colombia account for 80 percent of arms purchases. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also urged caution in purchases, warning against entering a race.

Of course, experts have pointed out in past years that the main concern is probably not war between countries, no matter what Venezuela says, but rather resource related violence. Even Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oscar Arias of Costa Rica warned against buying more arms, while noting that the region has never been so peaceful.

YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty Images

EXPLORE:LATIN AMERICA, MILITARY
 

GRANT

11:55 PM ET

November 9, 2009

I am North American, so

I am North American, so obviously I see the world through different eyes than my Southern counterparts might. However, at least one major reason for this tension and spending may be Hugo Chavez himself. If the man is actually a logical actor then it would seem that he is using the presence of North American soldiers as an excuse to increase the chance of war and to build up his military (possibly in an effort to quiet dissent at home).
If he is ruled by emotion, which I am starting to fear, then he is allowing his worries and ideology to increase the chance of a pointless war just because he has decided to do so. This of course has nothing to do with Chile or Brazil, but if Mr. Chavez would step back and see that the small number of soldiers in Columbia couldn't possibly threaten him, he could avert meaningless and totally avoidable bloodshed.

 

BOOKFISHER

9:46 AM ET

November 10, 2009

I am European, so

I am European, so I see USAs South America policy in different light, but can you or any other reader list 3 Countries in South America, heck whole Latin America, that have not been invaded or couped with help from CIA ?

 

AGD

2:22 AM ET

November 11, 2009

I'm South American

Particularly Peruvian. So maybe I can offer some insights. To be honest I don't think there is a real threat of war in South America. It is not the first time Venezuela has threatned war and it is not the first time Peru has called for dissarmament (which by the way has little to do with Chavez and a lot to do with Chile).

Chavez isn't worried about the American soldiers in Colombia, that is just his excuse. Remember, he has lost his favorite enemy, now that Bush is out of office, and criticizing Obama just isn't as fun. So he has to find an adequate substitute... and he found it in the form of this Agreement. It will serve him well to distract public opinion but he has no real intention of attacking Colombia, which by the way would, in my opinion, easily beat Venezuela in a jungle war scenario.

This is all about rhetoric not action. So don't expect any wars from here soon.

@ Bookfisher: I'd agree with you that US policy towards South America is and has been flawed, but one has to admit US interventionism in the region is in an all time low. If any, the problem right now is that the US just doesn't pay enough attention... it continues to believe that a failed War on Drugs and a single-minded free-trade-solves-everything approach is all the region needs. I mean, in many countries like my own we are fighting for our very freedoms and prosperity on every election trying to keep the Chavistas away from power... We could use a little more help than simply a nice speech in Trinidad and Tobago and a few more Free Trade Agreements!

 

MXCM428

3:20 AM ET

November 27, 2009

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