PARANOIA IN INTERNAL VENEZUELAN MILITARY DOCUMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CARACAS 001252 SIPDIS SIPDIS HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD FOR FRC LAMBERT E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/08/2026 TAGS: PGOV MARR PREL VE SUBJECT: PARANOIA IN INTERNAL VENEZUELAN MILITARY DOCUMENT REF: A. 05 CARACAS 03658 ¶B. CARACAS 01199 CARACAS 00001252 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ROBERT R. DOWNES FOR 1.4 (D) -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Embassy received from opposition contacts CD copies of two internal Venezuelan military powerpoint presentations that appear to date from around 2003. The presentations contain charts so complex, intricate, and overlapping as to be hardly readable. They portray revisionist history and outlandish conspiracies against Venezuela and "Hispanoamericanism" reminiscent of action movies and dime novels. A section on military doctrine lists U.S. invasion scenarios. Although the ultimate origin of the files is uncertain, the content appears to be authentic BRV material. Elements of the presentations share commonalties with statements of BRV officials and the BRV document "Military Thought 2005." Such deficient BRV scholarship and planning are the direct result of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez' leadership style. End Summary. -------------- Description of Documents -------------- ¶2. (C) Embassy received CD copies of alleged internal Venezuelan government documents on military doctrine from separate opposition contacts. The contacts claimed they had received the CDs from active duty military officers. The CDs contain two powerpoint presentations. The first file, containing 178 slides, focuses on the history and structure of the Venezuelan Armed Forces. It evaluates plans for military reorganization. Reminiscent of the BRV's "Military Thought 2005" strategy document (REF A) the second file, containing 75 slides, is replete with world "history." It describes alleged European and U.S. attempts to colonize the world and Venezuela. The documents appear to date from around 2003. One timeline ends in late December 2002, and a reference to a "US-Spain-NATO" invasion threat suggests the files date back to the administration of former Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar. While the origin of the files and the manner by which our sources obtained them cannot be determined with certainty, the content appears to be authentic GOV material. ¶3. (C) Since the files are powerpoint presentations, much of the data begs explanation. Still, much of the presentations would be too complex to understand even with the most adept briefer. Bar charts, flowcharts, timelines, and spider-webbing wire diagrams are so complex as to be incomprehensible. Maps contain dozens of lines drawn from country to country that make it impossible to tell what points where. Several different charts, such as Venn diagrams, timelines, bubble diagrams, and wire diagrams are often superimposed. Some timelines are so packed with data in minuscule font that they are scarcely legible. -------------- Conspiracy Theories: "The Consortium" -------------- ¶4. (C) The conspiracy theories in the documents are so wild that they could hail from the recesses of the Internet. In fact, a search for "black helicopters and the illuminati" would probably pull up similar, if not Venezuela-specific, material. Like in much other self-important Bolivarian political thought, Venezuela is the victim of the CARACAS 00001252 002.2 OF 003 conspiracies in these presentations because it is a "grave threat to the factors of international power and the promoters of globalism." ¶5. (C) The presentation calls Venezuela's enemy "the Consortium." The identity of the consortium is not entirely clear, but it appears to be some sort world conspiracy in which U.S. scheming figures heavily. Line diagrams link the favorite villains of Hollywood and paperback fiction throughout history, such as the CIA, Standard Oil, present-day oil companies, the military-industrial complex, the World Bank, Opus Dei, European nobility, Right-leaning political parties, etc. Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's administration, called "a narco-state," represents the Consortium in Latin America. The document shows photos of Uribe's entire cabinet and many members of President Bush's administration during the early 2000s. Bush administration officials' photos are arrayed next to company logos, presumably showing their alleged financial interests. An English-language chart that appears to have been copied off the internet depicts "The George W. Bush Money Tree," which speculates about President Bush's financial investments and obligations in a maze of wires pointing to various companies and persons. An arrow labeled in Spanish, "(bin) Laden Family" is superimposed over the chart. Another chart, probably intended to portray the misdeeds of Venezuela's "Fourth Republic" administrations, shows Citgo's 1997 contributions to the U.S. Republican Party. ¶6. (C) It is unclear whether two other slides are part of the arcane Venezuelan history lesson or represent additional conspiracies. One, titled "Republic of Amelia 1818" shows an arrow pointing from the west coast of Venezuela to northeast Florida. Another shows a region of southwest Venezuela and northeast Colombia labeled "Republic of Casanare (John Dobbs 1941)." -------------- Warfighting Doctrine and Conflict Scenarios -------------- ¶7. (C) The files contain a lesson on von Clausewitz's observations about the unpredictability of war. Considering the convoluted nature of the presentation, one bullet point on martial confusion appears (unintentionally) ironic, reading, "Why make things easy when we can make them hard?" Similar to other BRV statements on "asymmetric" warfare, which draw conclusions from the U.S. experience in Vietnam, the files emphasize the need to maintain the support of the population while sapping the attacker's will to fight. "Fourth generation warfare," one presentation says, is "cyber warfare," that is, a war of public opinion geared toward changing the way a society views itself. It advocates flexible responses to real and cyber threats. "Bolivarian doctrine" is presented in almost racist terms. One slide notes that Bolivarian unity is founded in "Hispanoamericanism," which it defines as "an integration" of people with common origin, language, and religion. The presentation pits the "Hispanoamerican union" against the "Anglo-Saxon union." ¶8. (C) From there, the doctrine becomes more absurd. It outlines four potential conflict scenarios for Venezuela: 1) Coup, subversion, and separatist movements promoted by transnational, corporate, and organized criminal interests. 2) Regional conflict as an extension of Plan Colombia instigated under the pretext of countering Venezuelan support for terrorism. 3) A U.S. military intervention mounted under the mandate of the OAS or UN. 4) "Fourth Generation" warfare. As outlined, the fourth scenario is similar to recent statements from BRV officials (REF B) on the U.S. use CARACAS 00001252 003.2 OF 003 of psychological operations to soften up public opinion before active intervention. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶9. (C) Although we do not know the exact origin of the presentations, they do appear to be authentic Venezuelan government documents. They are classic examples--if somewhat more extreme--of enthusiastic Chavista planning never translated into concrete results. The inferiority of government planning and analysis is the natural result of Chavez' governing style. Chavez rewards loyalty over competence, particularly in institutions such as the armed forces, which he relies on for his security. He also insists on making many of the day-to-day decisions of such institutions himself. This centralization renders analytical work by subordinates at best an exercise of "guess what the leader is thinking" and at worst, irrelevant. ¶10. (C) While the documents appear to be spreading through the opposition circuit, their influence and circulation in the Venezuelan military is unknown. We cannot rule out that they may be the work of a civilian trying to ingratiate himself with the administration rather than a senior military officer. If they do reflect Chavez' thinking, the all-encompassing conspiracy theories could help explain why Chavez has been antagonizing his international counterparts. With the amorphous, all-powerful "Consortium" breathing down his neck, he may trust fewer foreign governments. It is tempting to view the reports of conspiracies and corruption as an example of the logical fallacy of "mirror-imaging" at work. That is, the BRV authors of the report suspect their government is corrupt to the core, so that of their enemies must be, as well. BROWNFIELD