Diplomatic relations between Colombia and Venezuela have been at the front lines since a Spanish judge accused Venezuela of assisting FARC rebels on March 1, two years to the day after a raid by Colombian soldiers in Ecuador prompted one of the worst regional diplomatic disputes in recent memory.
The accusations are hardly new; in fact, top US diplomat for the region Arturo Valenzuela made a similar claim on March 10.
The claims aggravate a sensitive issue between Colombia and Venezuela. For the past eight years, Alvaro Uribe has made eliminating the FARC the key piece of his strategy to improve security in Colombia. Last week, he pledged to dedicate his remaining months in office towards this end. The accusation that a neighboring state is helping the very group Colombia is trying to destroy, while Colombia is helping the very ally (Washington) the Bolivarian Revolution is trying to topple, has a lot to do with the mutual animosity.
LatAmThought recently wrote an article for World Politics Review analyzing the contentious relationship between Colombia and Venezuela, the possibility for a change in the status quo in the immediate future, and a comparison with the Colombia’s improving ties with Ecuador.
The article can be found at World Politics Review.
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