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Riz Khan
US military in Colombia
We discuss the US military expansion plan in Colombia and its effect on Latin America.
Last Modified: 16 Aug 2009 06:20 GMT



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Tensions in South America are escalating over the US plans to double its military presence in Colombia.

Alvaro Uribe, Colombia's president, says his country needs US support to tackle drug-lords and rebel groups. But the country's neighbours are not happy.

Hugo Chavez, Venezuela's president,  has already accused Colombia of handing command of its military to "the Yankees" and says that the deal could prompt a war in South America.

Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and Ecuador have also expressed their concerns.

Anand Naidoo is sitting in for Riz Khan this week. On Wednesday's show, we look at the broader implications of the US military expansion in Colombia and ask: At the risk of alienating so many, what does the US gain from expanding its presence in Colombia?

Joining the show will be Gregory Wilpert, the author of Changing Venezuela by Taking Power: The History and Policies of the Chavez Government, and Ray Walser, a former US state department official and senior policy analyst for Latin America at the Heritage Foundation.

This episode of the Riz Khan show aired from Thursday, August 13, 2009.
Source:
Al Jazeera
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