On Dec. 2, 1851, President Louis Napoleon Bonaparte dissolved the French National Assembly and asked the people of France to make him their sole ruler. Unsatisfied with the new presidential powers granted by his citizens, he called for still more power in another plebiscite a year later, and the French made him Emperor Napoleon III.
Today, 156 years to the day that Napoleon first sought unrivaled power, President Hugo Chavez could become the sole ruler of Venezuela if Venezuelan voters answer his call to approve 69 constitutional amendments in a referendum.
The German philosopher Hegel observed that all facts of great importance in history occur twice. Later on, Karl Marx amended Hegel's principle, saying that the facts may occur twice but "the first time as tragedy and the second as farce."
Napoleon III used his new powers to consolidate his rule at home and expand his empire throughout Europe.
Judging by his hyperbolic rhetoric, Chavez also wants to extend his influence outside of his country. The former paratrooper doesn't seem satisfied to simply be the cacique of Venezuela. Chavez instead wants to use his country's oil wealth to become Latin America's most important power broker and an influential player on the international stage. The Venezuelan president has repeatedly said that he wants to bring the U.S. empire to its knees.
Does Chavez have the military and financial resources to play in the same league as the U.S. and other world powers?
Venezuela's 2006 defense budget amounted to less than $2 billion, about 1.3% of its gross domestic product. His combined armed services -- army, navy and air force -- number about 82,000, according to GlobalSecurity.org. In contrast, the U.S. has more troops in Iraq than Chavez has in all three branches of his military.
But does Chavez pose any military threat to his neighbors? Not to Brazil. Last year, it spent about $13.7 billion on defense, or about 2.6% of its GDP. Its combined military force totals nearly 310,000. Colombia, whose defense budget last year was $3 billion, or 3.4% of its GDP, need not fear Chavez either. According to the Colombian Embassy in Washington, the combined forces of Colombia's army, navy and air force number about 300,000.
