What soured the U.S.-Venezuela alliance?

It is true that trade between Venezuela and the United States increased from $29.7 billion in 2004 to $50.1 billion in 2007, and it is expected to be even more this year. Relations between the countries, however, are no longer influenced by the issues -- trade, energy interdependence and 'democracy' -- that cast the U.S. and Venezuela as natural allies during the Cold War. Instead, U.S.-Venezuela relations are now primarily influenced by the current state of affairs in both the Western Hemisphere and the world. George W. Bush's arrival to the White House brought with it a foreign policy heavily influenced by neoconservative ideology. That coincided with the birth of what we in Venezuela call the Bolivarian Revolution, which calls for greater political and economic autonomy from the United States and a bilateral relationship based on mutual respect among sovereign equals. There are three key facts that you need to understand to evaluate current U.S.-Venezuela relations. First, the 2002 coup against the constitutional government of President Hugo Chavez and U.S. support for the 48-hour dictatorship of businessman Pedro Carmona initiated the diplomatic separation between our countries. The coup also marked the beginning of strong rhetorical exchanges and an absolute silence from Washington regarding the Venezuelan opposition's disruptive actions between 2002 and 2004. Among the disruptions were oil sabotages designed to bring our economy and government to its knees, which ended up costing Venezuelans $10 billion over two months.