What does Hugo Chavez really want all those tanks for?

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced yesterday that he will purchase dozens more tanks in response to the new U.S.-Colombian leasing agreement:

“We’re going to buy several battalions of Russian tanks,” Chavez said at a news conference, saying the deal is among accords he hopes to conclude during a visit to Russia in September.

Chavez’s government has already bought more than $4 billion worth of Russian arms since 2005, including helicopters, fighter jets and Kalashnikov assault rifles.

The socialist leader called Colombia’s plan to host more U.S. soldiers a “hostile act” and a “true threat” to Venezuela and its leftist allies. He warned that a possible U.S. buildup could lead to the “start of a war in South America,” but gave no indication that Venezuela’s military is mobilizing in preparation for any conflict.

Chavez’s old friend Fidel Castro also chimed in, writing that, “Venezuela isn’t arming itself against the sister nation of Colombia, it’s arming itself against the (U.S.) empire.”

I doubt it. No matter how big his ego, I doubt that Chavez believes he has a chance against the U.S. military in a conventional war, no matter how many tanks he buys. Even if Venezuela increased its current tank force by 20 times, it would still have fewer than Iraq did before the first Gulf War. Bringing a bigger knife to a gunfight doesn’t really shift the odds in your favor.

The rising tensions do give Chavez political cover for a military buildup during a time of economic stagnation and an opportunity to prepare in case of a confrontation with enemies closer to home. 

THOMAS COEX/AFP/Getty Images