In June 2015, the Colombian government protested Venezuela’s attempts to claim maritime borders
in a disputed territory.
This is far from the first incident the two countries have deal with, their history has
seen a constant back and forth of diplomatic disagreements.
So, why exactly do Colombia and Venezuela hate each other?
Well, originally they were both part of single country called “La Gran Colombia” under
the leadership of Simón Bolívar . However, in the early 1800s, Bolivar’s plan for a
united Latin America fell apart due to infighting between member countries.
Since then, Colombia and Venezuela have drifted apart ideologically and politically.
A major source of their dispute is over the Gulf of Venezuela.
Parts of the Gulf were allocated to both countries by the King of Spain and in a subsequent treaty.
However, the maritime border was not defined, leading to both claiming portions of that
territory.
More significantly, Venezuela’s political parties collapsed in the late 1990s.
A socialist revolutionary, Hugo Chavez, was then elected as president.
Chavez had been imprisoned for attempting a failed coup ‘d’état in Venezuela in
1992.
His policies as president led to overspending, inflation, poverty, and a significantly weaker
economy.
Additionally, there was a major rise in corruption and murder, and a massive influx of socialist
propaganda.
Meanwhile, Colombia, a capitalist country, has been struggling with a half century long
conflict against a guerrilla group called FARC.
Colombia, the EU, the US, and others, consider them a terrorist organization.
However, to the Venezuelan government, FARC is considered a “people’s army” and
is ideologically aligned with their Marxist-Leninist socialism.
A large source of conflict comes from accusations that Venezuela has given support and shelter
to FARC and other guerrilla terrorist groups.
Both countries have also accused each other of entering each other’s territory without
permission, ostensibly to fight fleeing guerrilla fighters.
FARC has been kidnapping Colombian high government officials for ransom since the 1970s.
Venezuela, in turn, has been mediating prisoner exchanges between the two.
The most significant breakdown in relations occurred in 2010 when Colombia’s president
openly accused Venezuela of harboring guerrilla terrorists.
Venezuela immediately ended diplomatic relations, and the two countries verged on war.
However, tensions were resolved soon after as a new Colombian president was elected.
The two countries have had a long history of differing ideologies and questionable honesty,
leading to significant issues in attaining their individual goals.
Although Hugo Chavez died in 2013, his successor is considered to be similarly aligned with
the socialist ruling party.
Whether the two countries will ever be able to solve their territorial, political, and
guerilla-based disputes is unclear.
If you’d like to learn more about the FARC rebel group, take a look at our full video
here.
There’s a link to that video in the description.
Thanks so much for watching TestTube News, see you next time.