Two Hugo Chavez and Alvaro Uribe ends represent the two ideological poles opposed in South America. The first is the Government more pro-Cuba and the second the more pro-Bush of the subcontinent. Both lead to the only two South American republics that had no military dictatorships in the 1970s, but also the unique strong presidentialism and regimes reelection who have achieved or will accomplish more than two mandates. Both have faced serious military oppositions. Chavez deposed a coup in 2002 that it wanted to overthrow and accused Bogota of being animated. Uribe, however, not facing a coup sponsored by neighbors, but a lengthy guerrilla that lasts for six decades and he accused Ecuador and Venezuela of giving him handle.
Uribe is the paladin of promoting free trade in a subcontinent which, with the exception of Peru and Chile, prefers to avoid it to give way to a more protectionist model or treaties of regional integration. Chavez is the architect of the ALBA, which looks like an agreement where the Latin countries truequen with more equity and perhaps coordinate politically and militarily before us. Uribe is the main promoter of a monetarist, open economy targeting, while Chavez is who has been pushing the region to distance themselves from such economic liberalization and go towards policies more than cut statist, nationalizing or wanting to redistribute wealth. A relationship of love-hate both constantly amistan and fight. The issue of the FARC has led them to strong crisis.
In 2005 Caracas and Bogota almost break relations following the Colombian incursion into Venezuela to capture Rodrigo Granda FARC leader. Then came a reconciliation in which spoke to common works as the trans-guajiro duct. This March again relations almost broken following the Colombian bombing on Ecuadorian territory which led to the death of the Chancellor Raul Reyes of the FARC. Chavez mobilized 10 battalions to the border with its western neighbor and spoke of breaking diplomatic and commercial relations with Colombia or nationalize entrepreneurs operating in his country.