Colombia/USA military base court ruling: A good analysis at Just the Facts

This article from Just the Facts is a recommended analysis of yesterday's Colombian Constitutional court's decision to call the US/Colombia military base agreement unconstitutional. Here's one paragraph of many excerpted as a taster:

"Politically, the court’s decision is a blow to both governments because it gives the impression – deserved or no – that the Obama and Uribe administrations sought to do something that violated Colombia’s Constitution. Operationally, however, the defense accord’s suspension will not affect the U.S. presence in Colombia. Not a single U.S. soldier or contractor will have to leave Colombia or alter what he is doing as a result of the Constitutional Court’s decision."

Click through for the rest, as there's plenty more insight.

Colombia/USA military base agreement declared unconstitutional

Well riddle me ree, it's turned out just the way we posted back last Wednesday August 11th (remember where you heard it first dudettes and dudes). Here's AFP with the spiel:

US-Colombia base deal unconstitutional: court

(AFP) – 1 hour ago

BOGOTA — Colombia's constitutional court declared a US-Colombian accord that gave the US military access to at least seven Colombian bases to be unconstitutional.

The court ordered the government to submit the agreement to the Colombian Congress, arguing that it should be executed in the form of an international treaty that would be subject to congressional approval in order to comply with constitutional norms. CONTINUES HERE

And just a couple of minutes ago the Colombian government issued a statement saying it would abide by the court's ruling. So today gives your humble scribe a chance to repeat that little picture and caption from the follow-up post of last Thursday....cos it makes me chortle in that cynicalchortle way:

Now is it just me, or perhaps it's just lucky typesetting, but do you think all them there boats, planes and armed soldiers are pointing in the same direction out of sheer coincidence too?

Wowsers! Colombia's airbase agreement with the USA may about to be voted inconstitutional by Colombia

Colombia's Constitutional Court dudettes and dudes

If this happens, a very interesting turn of events is on the way. Colombia's interwebnetpipes site "La Silla Vacía", known for its insight and good contacts, today reports that Colombia's Constitutional Court is likely to throw out the USA/Colombia airebase agreement that allows the US to use Colombia as its own personal aircraft carrier. Here's the first paragraph of the Silla Vacia report translated, click through for the rest:

Yesterday for several hours, the meeting of the Constitutional Court debated the agreement that allows gringo military the use of seven military and concluded the session without coming to a decision. Today they meet again. Although the input of two of the judges is still needed, three different sources told La Silla Vacía that there is a clear majority to vote down the agreement between Colombia and The United States. Continues here.

UPDATE: What, you don't speak Spanish and want more translated? Oh, that's a tough one, isn't it? So let's get this straight: You have all these opinions that you get from news filtered to you by English language media, you consider yourself an expert on South America, you tell people that actually live here what's right and wrong....and you don't actually have any way of knowing what's being directly said...is that right? And then you write stuffy mails to bloggers demanding more information as if it were your God given right? Here's a message for you, my anonymous friend: