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In September 2003, for a second time, the U.S.-funded
08/26/2005
ary, shooting down
suspected drug-ferrying aircraft over Colombia and Peru
was suspended after a Colombian air force pilot, without
U.S. concurrence, strafed and destroyed a private plane
that had been forced down. New rules in effect do not
require U.S. concurrence; Colombian pilots are "encouraged" to seek U.S. approval before firing, although disapproval
does not constitute a veto. The U.S. role centers on helping
to detect and monitor suspect planes. The program has
not been restarted in Peru, where two U.S. citizens were
killed when their missionary plane was downed by a Peruvian
jet. However, Brazil is contemplating a similar effort,
but one without any U.S. connection. (New York Times,
January 8, 2004).
Peru
Peru succeeded in capturing two senior members of the
Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) insurgency that plagued
the country for nearly two decades. After being dormant
for a number of years, the group seemed to be staging
a come-back in 2003. How many insurgents there are and
the sources of their weapons and financing remain unclear.
On a related note, Peru's Truth and Reconciliation Commission
published its report in August. While it said the Shining
Path was responsible for beginning the strife that killed
69,000, only about half the total deaths were attributed
to the insurgents. The others were blamed on the army.
Venezuela
Lastly, Venezuela remains on edge due to border clashes
with Colombian paramilitaries and even Colombian government
forces. In December, a series of small clashes left seven
Venezuelans dead. Bogotá believes that Venezuela's
president, Hugo Chavez, may be supporting Colombian leftist
guerrillas. Meanwhile, Chavez continues to encounter sometimes
violent unrest to his presidency within Venezuela, particularly
because of his open and close ties to Cuba's Fidel Castro.
Yet among the poor of Venezuela, he remains popular, which
means he might well defeat any recall election or referendum
as the constitution requires more than a simple majority
in a recall. In the last regular election, Chavez received
60 percent of the votes.
This
analysis was prepared by Col. Dan Smith, U.S. Army (Ret.).
Dan, a West Point graduate and Vietnam veteran, is FCNL's
Senior Fellow on Military Affairs.
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