Enrique Santos

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez loves a good rant, and in early November he directed his ire once again toward Colombia, warning of an imminent war between the two nations. "Prepare yourselves for war," Chavez instructed military commanders in a televised address on Nov. 8.

Days later, Chavez backed off his comments, claiming his words had been manipulated. But on Nov. 21 he announced the pending arrival of 300 tanks from Russia and again told his supporters they were obligated to prepare for combat.