After news that the Bolivian president, Evo Morales, has accepted a vote of confidence in his administration, now comes the alarming suggestion that the Venezuelan leader, Hugo Chávez, has threatened to intervene against "the forces of oligarchy". The link includes a video of Chávez addressing his cabinet. He says:
"Venezuela will not stand back with its arms crossed. You may accuse me of meddling. I plead guilty."
Venezuela, of course, does not share a border with Bolivia, and affairs in the region are already tense after Chávez threatened to intervene in a dispute between Ecuador and Colombia in March.
