He forged a bond with a leftist group of Latin American countries, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas, that included Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador and Nicaragua, to counter U.S. influence in the region.

WSJ: Venezuelan Leader Ch��vez Dies

Secondly, Prime Minister Jorge del Castillo has said that Chavez is trying to pressure Peru into joining an alliance with Venezuela, Cuba and Bolivia called the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), which Chavez bills as an alternative to U.S. free trade agreements.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Chavez's dangerous intervention in Peru