Colombia and Venezuela appear to be on a collision course. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez recently ordered troops to the Colombian border, where violent clashes involving police, narcoguerrillas, and army troops have flared. But don't buy the saber rattling. Chávez's popularity is plummeting, and this is little more than an act of political ­desperation. 

What prompted Caracas's latest outburst is still unclear, but bilateral relations curdled in August when Bogotá said it would grant U.S. forces access to several military bases--a gesture that rankled Caracas, which sees D.C. as the devil's address. But Yanqis are a proximate cause. The real problem is Venezuela's growing domestic crises, driven by disinvestment and mismanagement. A drought has led to severe water shortages and blackouts. Prices are rising 29 percent a year, the highest in the region. Such dysfunction is eroding Venezuela's economy and patience. In October, polling firm Datanálisis found that Chávez's approval ratings had dropped below 50 percent for the first time. They also found some 80 percent of Venezuelans opposed going to war with Colombia. If Chávez is trying to distract his countrymen with war, he could be out of luck.