Neorealism is a theory that allows us to predict the rivalry between equivalent powers that maintain territorial disputes. However, in some cases, such behavior does not occur and it is not possible to establish an explanation of it from this theoretical approach. Such is the case of Colombia and Venezuela. Both countries share a territorial dispute in the Caribbean and its relationship has been characterized by multiple periods of tension. In spite of this Colombians haven’t sought out counterbalancing the continued influence that its neighboring nation has exercised towards this area, since the second half of the twentieth century. For this reason, this work seeks to explain why Colombia has not competed with Venezuela for the influence on a region of high strategic importance, such as the Caribbean Basin. Special attention is given to the insular Caribbean, whose main representation is the Caribbean Community (Caricom), between 2006 and 2016, a period characterized by frequent binational confrontations. As a result, it was found that this behavior responds mainly to the Andean identity of the Colombian elites, and, in a lesser extent, to the preponderance of the internal conflict in the country's foreign policy.