In response to a Colombian raid on a rebel base inside Ecuador this past weekend, Venezuelan troops took up positions on Colombia's border yesterday, while diplomats at the Organization of American States (OAS) moved closer to resolving the crisis. While the leaders of Ecuador and Venezuela cut diplomatic ties with Bogota and called for clear international condemnation of Colombia, OAS approached the issue more calmly, criticizing Colombia for its territorial encroachment without issuing an outright condemnation. Colombia has apologized to Ecuador, but did declare the raid a necessity.

At a U.N. disarmament meeting in Geneva, Colombian Vice President Francisco Santos claimed that the FARC rebels were trying to acquire radioactive material that could be used to make "dirty bombs ." Without providing details, he said the evidence had discovered two computers found with Reyes. Colombian officials said Monday that investigators found documents suggesting the rebels had bought and sold uranium.

There have been a series of editorials commenting on the developing situation in the last two days. The Washington Post says the attack reveals the upper hand that Colombia's democratic government may be gaining over the gangs that have beleaguered the country for decades. Andres Oppenheimer in today's Miami Herald predicts that Hugo Chavez's problems with FARC are only just beginning. The Guardian commented yesterday that the Colombian president, Alvaro Uribe, may take personal satisfaction for killing a leading member of an organization that murdered his father, but questions remain as to whether doing so has advanced the objective of bringing an end to Colombia's civil war. Finally, Newsweek's Maria Caballero takes a look at the possibility of war in Latin America.