Andy Webb writes about the diplomatic rift between Colombian and Venezuela (Thanks JT!). He has some extremely juicy tidbits that are worth copying verbatim, since in three days, you will need a subscription to read the article (bold is mine):
” According to Mr Granda’s diary, excerpts of which were seen by the FT, the top FARC representative kept the telephone numbers of several people in the Chávez government and other FARC members in Venezuela. It also has the numbers of Evo Morales, the Bolivian coca farmers leader and an international ally of Mr Chávez”.
“Colombia possesses photographs of FARC settlements in Venezuela taken by US satellites. To be classed by Colombia, and by extension the US, as a supporter of terrorists could give Venezuela, the world’s fifth- largest oil exporter, “rogue-state” status. Condoleeza Rice, the incoming US secretary of state, described Mr Chávez as a “negative force” in the region.”
“The Granda incident has caused ructions within the government of Mr Chávez, self-styled champion of the region’s wave of radical populism. His position in recent days has been influenced by the competing pull of a range of disparate leftwing and military factions.
While all the factions are loyal to the president, the radicals favour a faster pace of social reform and a more confrontational stance with the US. After the capture of Mr Granda a radical group of Marxist intellectuals who have sought international solidarity for Mr Chávez, as well as for the FARC, pressured Mr Chávez to take an aggressive stance with Mr Uribe.
“This internal struggle is having a big impact on the [structure of] power,” says Alfredo Keller, a Caracas-based political analyst. “Chávez acted to suit the requirement of the left.” Differences between them and more conservative, mainly military, factions, analysts say, help explain why Mr Chávez took so long to respond to Mr Granda’s capture.”
The Devil's Excrement 
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