Newsgroup: it.economia.borsa
Titolo: Attenzione al Venezuela ed al petrolio... Qui si mette male...

Venezuela and North Korea Connect
By Lt. Col. Gordon Cucullu
FrontPageMagazine.com | April 21, 2005
With North Korea playing dangerous games in America's back yard it is time 
that we begin to deal with an emerging rogue regime. In what looks 
suspiciously like an extension of the Axis of Evil into the Western 
Hemisphere, confirmed reports note that Venezuela dictator wannabe Hugo 
Chavez is cozying up to North Korean representatives. Chavez, long time 
admirer of Fidel Castro is rapidly dragging his country into the throes of a 
modern Marxist dictatorship. Even more the tragedy in that Venezuela had 
long been a budding democracy in South America. Chavez, elected in a 
contentious time, deliberately dismantled democratic institutions, cemented 
his authority, and then began systematically to eliminate the opposition.
Earlier this year massive street demonstrations forced a recall election. 
People were out in force demanding an end to Chavez's encroaching tyranny 
and a return to free, honest, and open government. In what can only be 
acutely embarrassing for most Americans who love freedom, former President 
and self-appointed scold Jimmy Carter went to Venezuela to 'monitor' the 
recall election. Allowing himself to be set up by the Chavez camp so that he 
only interviewed the dictator's supporters, Carter then astounding gave his 
stamp of approval to what most observers proclaimed to be a blatantly rigged 
election. The opposition party had been preparing to go back out on the 
streets to demand that Chavez step down and a free presidential election be 
held.
There is a good chance that American and Organization of American States 
support for such a move might have changed Venezuela back into a legitimate 
democracy. But the opposition - stunned by Carter's irrational 
pronouncement - fell into disarray. It was a tragedy for the people of 
Venezuela but also for America and other countries in the hemisphere. With 
Carter's imprimatur in his back pocket, Chavez then cracked down even harder 
on the democratic opposition, plunging Venezuela deeper into authoritarian 
rule.
Chavez has delusions of grandeur that to go hand in glove with dictatorship. 
He envisions himself as ruler of a 'super-state' that traverses Latin 
America from Atlantic to Pacific. A quick glance at the map shows that in 
order for that trick to happen it will mean annexation of some or all of 
Columbia, Peru, Bolivia, and Chile. No man of little ambitions is Chavez. 
His Cuban pal and mentor Fidel Castro is, of course, thrilled. America and 
our allies now have to deal with another communist megalomaniac in the 
Western Hemisphere. Castro with his proclivity for basing Soviet missiles, 
gross human rights violations, and international export of revolution has 
been bad enough. At least all Castro holds over us economically is sugar. 
Chavez, on the other hand, is sitting on some of the largest producing 
petroleum wells in the world. And we in America are deeply tied to 
Venezuelan oil.
Now that Chavez feels confident and secure in his position he has embarked 
on the mission that tin-pot dictators usually do: building up his military 
capability to threaten his neighbors. And of course he has sufficient 
petrodollars to allow him to do exactly what he intends. The Russians are 
first in the queue. Although no longer strict communists Russia seems unable 
to resist the temptation to support these aberrant enemies of America. They 
plan to sell Chavez a squadron of highly advanced MiG-29 fighter aircraft. 
Along with this are an expected shipment of 100,000 Russian manufactured 
AK-47 assault rifles and assorted weapons such as light machine guns and 
rocket propelled grenades. The usual weapons of choice for terrorist 
movements around the globe.
The reasons for these acquisitions are no mystery: Chavez intends to stir up 
big trouble. He is actively assisting the Revolutionary Armed Forces of 
Colombia (FARC), the narco-terrorists and anti-government guerrillas who 
make their living in the cocaine business. FARC leaders are eager to ally 
with someone like Chavez. They know the Venezuelan dictator will support 
them in overthrowing the legitimately elected but beleaguered Colombian 
government. Beyond these immediate regional ambitions there can be no doubt 
that Chavez is itching for a chance to take on the United States. Not 
directly - at least not at first - but in an alliance that will see him use 
oil, terror threats, and narcotics subversion to weaken America's regional 
influence.
Even more troubling than Russian intervention, recent reports indicate that 
a North Korean military sales delegation has visited Caracas with the 
intention of selling Chavez intermediate range ballistic missiles. With an 
economy solidly in the tank, the North Koreans have few items of interest in 
the export market. The Kim Jong Il regime has focused on counterfeit US $100 
bills, manufacture and sale of illegal narcotics (heroin and crystal meth), 
slave labor, trafficking in human beings, research into nuclear and chemical 
weapons, and manufacture and sale of missiles. North Korea is so cash poor 
that Kim would agree to strap his grandmother to one of the rockets and ship 
her over if that meant more spending money in his 'extra big in the butt' 
jeans.
With oil prices spiking Chavez has the petrodollars to purchase just about 
anything he wants from North Korea and would likely be interested in acting 
as a broker for wholesale heroin to distribute into North American markets. 
He can take advantage of the distribution lines that his friends in FARC 
have established to implement such a strategy. Chavez figures that fighting 
in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere has so preoccupied and distracted 
American policymakers that he will be able to pull this deal off under the 
radar. But presence of a new dictatorial regime armed with high performance 
aircraft and missiles capable of threatening almost every major city in the 
hemisphere is completely unacceptable. As petty tyrants are wont to do, 
Chavez has 'misunderestimated' America and President Bush. The US and our 
hemispheric allies have too much at stake to permit this cancer to grow 
unchecked. Watch for a new front to open in the war on terror. 


Come sempre il komunismo porta morte, tragedie, guerre, distruzione e tante 
lacrime.
MEDITATE GENTE MEDITATE...