Santos’s predecessor, Álvaro Uribe, endured tensions with Venezuela and Ecuador because of their alleged support for the FARC, a Marxist-Leninist guerilla insurgency that funds itself largely through drug trafficking. Colombia’s diplomatic relations with both countries were suspended, and Chávez’s support of the FARC, which suffered its worst military defeats during Uribe’s eight years as President, brought the country to the brink of war with Venezuela.