Conflicting Interests

Recently we witnessed how Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s president reacted to air strikes conducted by Colombian aircraft on rebel camps located in Ecuador. As tensions rise and fall between the countries it is interesting to analyze the situation. An article from the economist gives us a small overview:

“On few, if any, other occasions has a head of state issued detailed orders for military mobilization as jauntily as if he were ordering pizza, and on live television. That is what Hugo Chavez, Venezuela’s president did on March 2nd, after Colombian forces bombed a camp just inside Ecuador, killing Raul Reyes, a senior commander of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC) guerrillas.”

The question to think about is whether Colombian officials were wrong to launch attacks into another countries’ territory. I can see why Colombian felt the need to attack and kill this key FARC leader but they may have caused more trouble than they needed. I think all countries should have their own borders respected to a certain degree. As a global community we cannot simply attack targets in other areas without some kind of permission or at least a justification based on a global consensus. I think Columbia had a legitimate reason to attack but I think they should have had permission first. We saw how the countries around Columbia reacted with mobilizations and this obviously points out that it may have not been the right way to act. Of course FARC is an organization that should be stopped but we need to work together through multilateral relations rather than charging in alone.