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There are basically two directions Chavez can go, both left but with different results.
He can try to form an anti-American alliance with Cuba and Communist China. He can (continue to) meddle in the politics of other Andean states (Colombia and Bolivia, especially, but I wouldn't be surprised to find his fingerprints on any Sendero resurgence).
Or, he can try to form a more political leftist alliance with other, less roguish, left-wing governments. Spain's Socialists under Zapatero and his foreign minister have been pushing this agenda (of course, they've been reaching out to Castro too, but more in the political sense than the security ties Chavez has been advancing). Brazil's leftists under Lula! are the other main part of this equation.
Both directions are anti-American (well, anti-US; Venezuela is part of the Americas), but one is a threat while the other is a rivalry.
Chavez seems inclined toward the former course.
In either case, China will play an increasing role if only because of its growing energy needs. And while Angola and Nigeria and Saudi Arabia are interested in cold hard cash for their oil, countries like Sudan and Venezuela can benefit from China's cheap weapons and UN support.
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