Soob

Geo-Politics is to Comedy as Hugo Chavez is to Eddie Izzard. Both are boisterous and flamboyant. Both resist conventional wisdom. Both affect a counter cultural demeanor. The difference between the two is Eddie's a brilliant comical success where as Hugo continues to toss logs onto an already blazing bonfire of geo-political isolation. And in today's world of global economic connectivity isolation is not a sustainable strategy. Ask Kim Jong Il or Hugo's counter-core bosom buddy, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Of course Chavez success and foreign policy leverage exist not on a complex global economic strategy, rather on the singular, one dimensional aspect of hydro-carbons. Allow me to quote previous excellent commentary here offered by Zenpundit:

the long-term leverage of nations that rely on being raw material commodity exporters as their economic base is exceptionally poor.

If "cotton was king" then the CSA would exist today. The same may be said of states that are exporters of oil and natural gas yet must import gasoline or watch their economies decline.

To that end our friend (who I'll miss when he goes away because he's always good for a chuckle) Hugo strides deeper into global obscurity:

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says he has frozen his country's bilateral ties with neighbouring Colombia.

The move follows the decision by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to end Mr Chavez's role as a hostage negotiator with Colombia's Farc rebels.
Mr Chavez said that the decision to end his mediation role was "a spit in the face" and denounced Mr Uribe as a liar

He also said he had frozen relations with Spain over a remark made by King Juan Carlos earlier this month. The king told Mr Chavez to "shut up" after the Venezuelan leader repeatedly interrupted the Spanish Prime Minister, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, during the final session of Ibero-American summitinSantiago.

Mr Chavez later said the matter would be settled only if he received an apology from the king, whom he accused of "arrogance" and "impotence".