| Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has been making noises about running the Dutch out of nearby Caribbean islands, areas that the Netherlands have owned for centuries. In response, the Dutch are trying to orchestrate a suitable, and scary, message for Chavez. The Dutch are trying to get the United States to make a port call with an aircraft carrier, and its accompanying warships, at one of their Caribbean islands. This would be part of a series of "messages" that they're sending to Venezuela. An additional "message" is an invitation to the Venezuelans to take part in a navy/marine exercise that the Dutch are going to run in the Caribbean later this year. This will have U.S., British, French, and even Swedish participation, primarily as a way of demonstrating that if Chavez pulls something against the Dutch-owned islands, he may get a bloody nose. Even without the port call, it's unlikely that the United States would just stand by if Venezuela made a move on Dutch Caribbean islands. |