Tag: Russia in Latin America

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Growing Danger From Mexican Election

Those advocating the abolition of ICE and opposing reasonable border controls should reexamine their positions, particularly in the aftermath of the Mexican election. Leftist candidate Lopez Obrador, known also by the nickname AMLO, will be the next president of Mexico. He believes that “All have the right to immigrate to the United States.”  In essence, he has repealed America’s right to have sovereign borders. His approximately 53% victory was facilitated by the votes from the 12 million Mexicans living in the United States.

The extraordinary concept of abolishing the federal agency responsible for keeping America’s borders secure has come under attack in recent weeks.  A key figure, New York’s Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D, NY) has joined the chorus of those seeking to eliminate it. As both a Senator from a large state and a potential contender for the Democrat nomination for president, she is neither an outsider nor an irrelevant figure.

Obrador’s leftist politics could turn Mexico into another Venezuela, Cuba or Nicaragua. If that occurs, the number of his citizens seeking to leave will skyrocket, flooding the U.S. with refugees.

But there is an even more immediate danger. Leftist regimes within the Western hemisphere have established military ties with Russia, China, and Iran.  Adding Mexico to that list, particularly considering its large presence on America’s southern border, presents a threat of the highest magnitude.

A growing danger from Latin America already exists. Moscow’s has placed landing facilities for nuclear bombers and a spy station in Nicaragua.  It has plans to place other heavy military equipment in the country. Russia’s Sputnik News notes that Nicaragua’s military training center was “constructed with Russia’s assistance and named after the legendary WW2 hero, Soviet Marshal Zhukov.” The U.S. Naval Institute  revealed in 2016 that “In late April Russia started shipping shipped T-72B tanks to Nicaragua.

The America’s Report has also linked Ortega to Iran “Iran has been making inroads into Latin America for some time, especially in countries with strong Chavista influence, including Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and dangerously Nicaragua, which is very close in distance to the US… We have to consider that Iran has already used Hezbollah to attack what it considers enemies in Latin America, when they blew up the Israeli embassy and a Jewish center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the early -90’s killing and wounding hundreds…When Ortega became President of Nicaragua in 2007, [Iranian leader] Ahmadinejad considered his ascension so important that he was in Managua to attend the inauguration. Ortega even honored Ahmadinejad with two of the country’s most prestigious awards….Nicaragua is providing a safe place where Iran can send Revolutionary Guards and move them in and around the region.

In 2015, Pravda   reported “Russia and Cuba agreed to train Cuban specialists in Russia. This long-term strategy imposes obligations on Russia to supply its allies in Latin America with advanced weapons, including air defense systems, aircraft and warships.
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Iran’s semi-official FARS news agency has reported that there are plans to deploy warships in Latin American. Iran has been seeking to broaden ties and cooperation with Latin American states, including Mexico, iVenezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Cuba, and Colombia.

The Center for Security Policy calls Russia in Latin America “The problem we have chosen to ignore…Russian activities closer to home in the Western Hemisphere have been largely overlooked or perhaps just disregarded. There have been reports of  increasing Russian  military cooperation with countries in Latin America that are hostile to the United States, mainly Cuba, Venezuela, and  Nicaragua.  This includes agreements between Russia and the above named countries that would enable Russia to place their naval logistic facilities in Venezuelan, Cuban and Nicaraguan territory.

Beijing’s presence is increasingly being felt within the Western Hemisphere as well.

Paul Coyer, writing for Forbes reports that “Beijing’s investments globally are rarely undertaken with solely business goals in … In the case of Huawei, as the largest telecommunications equipment supplier in the world [with] strong ties to China’s military and intelligence services, [has a]  considerable role in building many of Latin America’s telecommunications and information networks. [that is] is a boon to Chinese intelligence.

An Official Chinese document notes that “Since 2013, the Chinese leadership has set forth a series of major initiatives and measures on strengthening China’s relations and cooperation with Latin America and the Caribbean in a wide range of areas.”  It is of concern that trade is seen as a means to further other goals, and military cooperation plays a significant role. The document notes:

“China will actively carry out military exchanges and cooperation with Latin American and Caribbean countries, increase friendly exchanges between defense and military leaders from the two sides, strengthen policy dialogue and set up working meeting mechanisms, conduct exchanges of visits between delegations and vessels, deepen professional exchanges in such fields as military training, personnel training and UN peacekeeping, expand pragmatic cooperation in humanitarian relief, counter-terrorism and other non-traditional security fields, and enhance cooperation in military trade and military technology.”

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Part 2: A Reverse Watershed in Latin America

 

The New York Analysis of Policy and Government concludes its review of national security threats in Latin America.

There is little doubt that the weaponry Moscow has chosen to provide to Nicaragua has America as its target. Nuclear bomber bases and modern tanks are certainly unnecessary in any hypothetical Central American conflict.

Nicaragua’s southern neighbor, Costa Rica, is a nation that hasn’t even had a military since 1948, and its Constitution abolished the army altogether in 1949. Each December 1, Costa Ricans celebrate this milestone on “Army Abolition Day” (Día de la Abolición del Ejército).

To the North, Honduras and El Salvador present no threat, and in fact those two nations are at loggerheads with each other, when not concentrating on fighting internal gangs.

The Nicaraguan-Russian arms saga is part of a significant downturn in Latin America, as noted recently by the Wall Street Journal.
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“Venezuela has become a Cuban satellite and holds scores of political prisoners. Pluralism hangs by a thread in Bolivia, El Salvador and Ecuador. Yet the collapse of democracy may be most poignant in Nicaragua, which fought back against the Communist Sandinistas during the Cold War only to see them return with a vengeance amid U.S. indifference. Last month Sandinista President Daniel Ortega purged Nicaragua’s opposition from Parliament. In November he will run for a third five-year term with his wife, Rosario Murillo, as his vice-presidential candidate. …Readers may recall how Mr. Ortega led the Sandinista revolution…1979 with the help of the Soviet Union. He moved quickly to establish a Communist beachhead in Central America. This spawned the grass-roots Nicaraguan resistance. The Sandinistas accepted defeat but refused to surrender their weapons or their judiciary seats. The “commandantes” of the revolution had enriched themselves by confiscating property in what was known as “the piñata,” and many Nicaraguan property owners have never been compensated.Mr. Ortega has returned to power by exploiting democratic rules and then changing them once in power. …All of this has happened with nary a peep from the Obama Administration. Contrast that with the way the White House aggressively mobilized Latin American governments in 2009 when Honduras used constitutional means to remove a law-breaking president and then insisted that new elections be held on schedule. Latin Americans have noticed the U.S. double standard, and Nicaraguans are paying the price.”

The America’s Report has linked Ortega to Iran “Iran has been making inroads into Latin America for some time, especially in countries with strong Chavista influence, including Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and dangerously Nicaragua, which is very close in distance to the US…The problem is that if Ortega perpetuates himself in power, the United States’ and the region’s national security could suffer a serious blow. We have to consider that Iran has already used Hezbollah to attack what it considers enemies in Latin America, when they blew up the Israeli embassy and a Jewish center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the early -90’s killing and wounding hundreds…When Ortega became President of Nicaragua in 2007, Ahmadinejad considered his ascension so important that he was in Managua to attend the inauguration. Ortega even honored Ahmadinejad with two of the country’s most prestigious awards (the Liberty Medal and the Rubén Darío Medal). The two heads of state then toured shantytowns in Managua and Ortega told the press that the “revolutions of Iran and Nicaragua are almost twin revolutions…since both revolutions are about justice, liberty, self-determination, and the struggle against imperialism…What are all those Iranian diplomats doing in Nicaragua? …What is becoming dangerous is that Nicaragua is providing a safe place where Iran can send Revolutionary Guards and move them in and around the region. It is clear that the Iranians are allowed to come and go as they wish and there is no surveillance by the Nicaraguan regime. It is not far fetched to think that the embassy and the mosque could be used to store weapons and to develop and execute plans to attack American interests. What is certain is that urgent vigilance is required.”

Iran’s semi-official FARS news agency reports that Iran’s Army Commander Major General Ataollah Salehi has plans to deploy warships in Latin American.” Iran has been seeking to broaden ties and cooperation with Latin American states, including Venezuela, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Cuba, Mexico and Colombia.

The ramifications of the White House’s timidity have ramifications across the globe, as anxious allies take note of an America that fails to guard against rising threats even within striking distance of its own borders.

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A Reverse Watershed in Latin America

 

The New York Analysis begins a two-part review of the

deteriorating national security outlook in Latin America

A “Reverse watershed” may be in the making in Central America.

In the late 1980’s President Ronald Reagan successfully demanded that the Soviet Union cancel plans to place advanced military equipment in Nicaragua. His stance against Russian advances in Central America was rooted in a U.S. policy that extended as far back as the Monroe Doctrine.

His willingness to face down the expansion of Soviet military influence, combined with his arms buildup, was a vital component in the downfall of the U.S.S.R., one of the true turning points in the Cold War.

Thirty years later, the unwillingness of the Obama Administration to stand firm against Moscow’s current moves to place landing facilities for nuclear bombers and a spy station in Nicaragua, along with plans to place other heavy military equipment in the country, indicates that Washington’s current leadership lacks the courage or concern to confront aggressive nations, and is unwilling to face threats even within its own hemisphere.

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The McClatchy news service reports that “Russia is rekindling its once-strong ties to Nicaragua, possibly including providing the Central American nation with jet fighters, stoking unease as far away as the Andes in South America…The chief spokesman for the Sandinista Front on international matters…said Nicaragua’s relations with Russia have taken a ‘qualitative leap’…Former Sandinista President Daniel Ortega won elections and returned to power in 2007…Nicaragua’s neighbors recoiled. ‘One doesn’t combat drug trafficking with that kind of heavy military equipment for fighting wars,” Costa Rican Foreign Minister Manuel González said …”

The U.S. Naval Institute  revealed in May that “In late April Russia shipped the first 20 of 50 T-72B tanks ordered by Nicaragua.The cost of the 50 tanks reportedly totals $80 million. That is $9 million more than Nicaragua’s total 2015 defense budget. The acquisition of tanks is particularly perplexing to many in the region since Nicaragua has relatively good relations with its neighbors…This puzzling move turns out to be one of several in recent years in which Russia has provided foreign assistance and weapons sales to their old allies in the ruling FSLN party under President Daniel Ortega…These echoes of the Cold War beg the question—why? It does not appear to be domestic politics, or some ambitious plan of the Nicaraguan government; rather, it is more likely driven by Putin’s desire to create mischief in America’s sphere of influence at a low cost…”

The Center for Security Policy calls Russia in Latin America “The problem we have chosen to ignore…Russian activities closer to home in the Western Hemisphere have been largely overlooked or perhaps just disregarded. There have been reports of  increasing Russian  military cooperation with countries in Latin America that are hostile to the United States, mainly Cuba, Venezuela, and  Nicaragua.  This includes agreements between Russia and the above named countries that would enable Russia to place their naval logistic facilities in Venezuelan, Cuban and Nicaraguan territory. According to Russia’s Secretary of Defense, those facilities could serve long-range aircraft. The motive, according to Russia expert, Stephen Blank is that Russia seeks access to ports and air bases for refueling purposes as well as  great power influence… As the United States abandons its desire to be involved in international affairs, Russia and China aspire to increase their influence in areas of the world that have traditionally been part of the U.S. sphere of cultural and political influence. Simultaneously, Iran cultivates its own political alliances and terrorist networks in the region. The Bolivarian Alliance is a threat to democracy and stability in the region. Russia, China and Iran will do anything to reinforce these regimes.”

Moscow has not been shy about its Latin American involvement. In 2015, Pravda   reported “Russia and Cuba agreed to train Cuban specialists in Russia. This is a very important aspect, as it means the technical and mental attachment of the armed forces of Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela to Russia. This marks a return to the Soviet system of allied military cooperation between Russia and Latin America. This long-term strategy imposes obligations on Russia to supply its allies in Latin America with advanced weapons, including air defense systems, aircraft and warships. Such issues were discussed in Nicaragua, Pravda.Ru wrote with reference to defensa.com website. ‘Moscow will begin shipping patrol gunboats in Managua during the second half of 2016 as part of the package that Russia offered Nicaragua last year.’ Furthermore, if we sell or have plans to sell S-300 and S-400 systems to Beijing and Tehran, why not selling them to Managua, Caracas and Havana?… Through the territory of Nicaragua, it is planned to build a new canal parallel to Panama Canal. In this case, vessels of the Russian fleet will be able to enter the Gulf of Mexico, that is exit the Pacific Ocean to enter the Atlantic. This is highly important, because in this case, Russia will be able to ensure so-called nuclear deterrence, because the Russian navy has long-range cruise missiles. If such Russian vessels are deployed somewhere near the territory of Cuba, they will be able to attack the United States.”

The Report Concludes Tomorrow

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Nicaragua joins Russia in tank manuevers

Nicaragua is engaging in tank war games alongside Russia and China. The Central American nation of about 5.7 million is smaller than New York.

It is the second poorest country in the western hemisphere. Nevertheless, it is joining Russia, China, Belarus, Tajikistan, India and Egypt in a Moscow suburb, at an event sponsored by the Russian Ministry of Defense. The Diplomat reports.

The Center for Strategic & International Studies  notes that “Though Russia has not been entirely absent from [Latin America] in recent years, recent statements from the Russian Defense Ministry bring that involvement to a new level. Late last month, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced Russian plans to build military bases in Nicaragua, Cuba, and Venezuela, marking Russia’s most forward endeavors in the region since the end of the Cold War.”

Joseph Klein, writing for Front Page,  outlines Moscow’s deep and continuing bid to be a forceful military presence in Latin America:

“Russia is also on the lookout for refueling sites for Russian strategic bombers on patrol. Russia is already a major arms supplier to Venezuela, whose navy has conducted joint maneuvers with Russian ships. At least four Russian Navy ships visited Venezuela last August, the Venezuelan daily El Universal reported.“Two Russian Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers flew last October from an airbase in southwestern Russia and landed in Venezuela in routine exercise,” Russia’s Defense Ministry announced, according to the Voice of Russia. “The nuclear-capable bombers, which took off from the Engels airbase in the Volga region, ‘flew over the Caribbean, the eastern Pacific and along the southwestern coast of the North American continent, and landed at Maiquetia airfield in Venezuela,’ the ministry said in a statement.”

Nicolas Maduro, the President of Venezuela, is so enamored of Putin that he expressed support last year for the Russian president to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. During a visit to Moscow by Maduro last summer, Maduro and Putin reaffirmed, in Putin’s words, “their wish for continuing their course towards strategic cooperation in all sectors.”
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Putin was the first Russian president to visit Cuba since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Pravda quoted Putin as declaring in 2012 that Russia gained the consent of the Cuban leadership to place ‘the latest mobile strategic nuclear missiles ‘Oak’ on the island,’ …

Left-wing Argentinian President Cristina Fernández is intent on forging closer relations with Russia, inviting Russia to invest in fuel projects. … Ecuador was also interested in buying Russian military equipment.

“… what we are seeking with Russia is a strategic partnership based on the joint development of technology,” said Brazilian Defense Minister Celso Amorim after meeting with his Russian counterpart.”

Russia is also forging a closer relationship with El Salvador.

Nicaragua is not just interested in Russian tanks.  McClatchy reports that “Russia is rekindling its once-strong ties to Nicaragua, possibly including providing the Central American nation with jet fighters, stoking unease as far away as the Andes in South America…The rumored provision of the Russian jet fighters to Nicaragua has spawned fears of an arms race in Central America and once again made Nicaragua a bit player in the geopolitical to-and-fro between Washington and Moscow. … In 2013, Russia agreed to offer patrol gunboats to Nicaragua. As part of the Russian defense minister’s visit in February, Nicaragua agreed to ease rules to allow Russian warships to enter Nicaraguan ports. More than 45 military cadets and officers left Nicaragua last September for extended training in Russia.”

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America’s not gaining from improved relations with Cuba & Venezuela

The Stratfor organization reports that American diplomats are reaching out to Venezuela.  The move follows the opening of relations with Cuba.

“Recent discussions between Venezuelan and U.S. officials suggest that tentative negotiations between the two countries are taking shape. U.S. State Department Counselor Thomas Shannon has met with Venezuelan officials on three occasions — twice with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas and once with National Assembly Speaker Diosdado Cabello in Port au Prince, Haiti. The United States has begun engaging Venezuela at a time when Caracas’ public finances are stretching thin. These political contacts are still in an early stage but may grow into wider negotiations on Venezuela’s political future.

“The information available about the meetings suggests that both sides may still be feeling out potential concessions rather than making substantive decisions. Shannon’s discussion in Haiti reportedly dealt with whether the United States would repeal an executive order imposing sanctions on seven Venezuelan officials allegedly involved in human rights violations. Some officials are part of a list of dozens of Venezuelan officials that includes Cabello, who faces a criminal investigation in a U.S. federal district court for allegedly facilitating cocaine trafficking to the United States, a fact U.S. negotiators could leverage. In the meeting, Shannon also reportedly asked for Venezuela to set a date for legislative elections and reiterated long-standing U.S. demands to release political prisoners.”

Politics and international relations are not necessarily arenas where morals are on the top of the agenda. However, absent a major or urgent necessity, (an alliance in time of war, for example; during World War 2, the U.S. allied with Soviet Russia) violating core principles and interests in return for little or no benefits raises questions.

Both Cuba and Venezuela are significant violators of human rights, and both have engaged in military relations with other nations that are hostile to American interests.

According to Human Rights Watch “…the Cuban government continues to repress individuals and groups who criticize the government or call for basic human rights. Officials employ a range of tactics to punish dissent and instill fear in the public, including beatings, public acts of shaming, termination of employment, and threats of long-term imprisonment. Short-term arbitrary arrests have increased dramatically in recent years and routinely prevent human rights defenders, independent journalists, and others from gathering or moving about freely.”

Human Rights Watch  has also outlined Venezuela’s poor rights record:

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“In September 2013, the Venezuelan government’s decision to withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights took effect, leaving Venezuelans without access to the Inter-American Court on Human Rights, an international tribunal that has protected their rights for decades in a wide array of cases.

“Police abuse, prison conditions, and impunity for abuses by security forces remain serious problems.”

According to Canada’s National Post  “Russia is courting Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua…to gain access to air bases and ports for resupply of Russian naval assets and strategic bombers operating in the Western Hemisphere…Starting last year, a Russian intelligence ship has docked in Havana… multiple times conducting operations in the Gulf of Mexico and along the East Coast of the United States…”

Russia’s Pravda  news reports that Moscow is enhancing military relations with Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela. “an intergovernmental agreement was signed to establish a simplified procedure for vessels of the Russian navy to enter Nicaraguan ports. Another agreement was signed to train military specialists at Russian universities. Venezuela offered its “friendly ports” to Russian ships as well. The country is willing to organize joint drills with Russia, including with the use of multiple rocket launchers. It is possible that aircraft of the Russian Air Force may land in the country someday soon as well. During the meeting with Cuban leader Raul Castro in Havana, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu said that “military relations develop constructively.” Shoigu expressed Russia’s gratitude to the Cuban side for the honors given to Russian military ships and vessels during their call at the port of Havana. It goes about The Victor Leonov electronic intelligence ship that paid a visit to Cuba in January 2015 and a couple of times in 2014.”

Russia is not the only hostile power to establish relations with those nations. The Washington Free Beacon reports “The Iranian government is significantly boosting its presence and resources in Latin America, posing a national security threat to the region, according to a group of U.S. and Latin American officials who met earlier this week in Florida to discuss Iran’s covert actions. While Iran has long had a foothold in the Western hemisphere …officials warned that the Islamic Republic has invested significant resources into its Latin American operations in a bid to increase its sway in the region. Iran’s growing influence in the region—and its effort to exert influence over governments there—has fostered pressing security concerns as the Iranians inch closer to the United States’ southern border.”

There has been no indication that Cuba or Venezuela are offering to abandon their military relationship with Russia in return for concessions from the U.S. The salient question is, what does the United States gain from improved relations with these objectionable governments?

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Obama’s Unjustified Cuban Policy

Mr. Obama has engaged in yet another radical departure in U.S. foreign policy with his opening of relations with Cuba for the first time since 1961.

Two vital questions remain unanswered.

Why has the White House chosen this peculiar point in time to engage with Havana, and

what benefit does the U.S., other than public relations praise from several Latin America leaders, stand to gain from the move?

The President is, once again, using Executive Authority rather than consultation with Congress in this matter, resulting in both those questions remaining insufficiently answered.

Mr. Obama’s penchant for ignoring long-standing and unresolved issues in dealing with nations at odds with America was again on display as he maintained, in a well-publicized recent quote about his stance on Cuban-U.S. relations, “The United States will not be imprisoned by the past — we’re looking to the future. I’m not interested in having battles that frankly started before I was born… The Cold War has been over for a long time.” The Cold War remark is rather strange, in light of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, dramatic arms buildup, threatening actions towards Europe, and nuclear patrols off U.S. coastlines.

There have been debates concerning a softening of relations with Havana for years.  However, the Castro leadership’s continued intransigence in refusing to provide basic human rights to its people, support of terrorism, and continuing military threats to other nations including the United States prevented any progress.  Those factors have not improved, and, in terms of its willingness to allow Moscow to use Cuba as a military base for actions compromising the national security of the United States, their actions have in fact recently worsened.

Under the terms of the new relationship, Cuba will be removed from the list of states sponsoring terrorism, despite the fact that it continues to do so. Example includes continuing support for Basque terrorists and sheltering Joanne Chesimard and Charles Hill, who murdered U.S. police officers, and Guillermo Morales,  an explosives expert/bomb maker for the FALN (Fuerzas Armadas Liberacion Nacional), an extremist organization advocating for Puerto Rican independence through acts of violence. The group, active in the 1970s and early 1980s, is credited with committing more than 100 bombings that caused several deaths, multiple injuries, and millions of dollars in damage.

The two nations will exchange embassies, and engage in some prisoner exchanges. Some restrictions on commerce will be eased, but the embargo will not be completely removed unless Congress approves. The move would allow U.S. residents to send funds to family members in Cuba, and ends most travel restrictions. This should substantially assist Havana’s economy. There is no substantial benefit to the U.S. economy, or a resolution of the confiscation of American property by the Castro regime.

There is no indication that Havana will ease its extreme suppression of human rights on the island following the normalization of relations. Indeed, even during the discussions leading to the new relationship, Cuba imprisoned 140 additional people for political reasons. Freedom House noted that “In 2014, the Cuban government increased its systematic use of short-term “preventive” detentions—along with harassment, beatings, and ‘acts of repudiation’—to intimidate the political opposition, isolate dissidents from the rest of the population, and maintain political control of all public spaces. A record number of politically motivated detentions were recorded in 2014, and crackdowns on activists continued. For example, an attempted performance that addressed social and political issues, orchestrated by artist Tania Bruguera, was met with harsh repression in December.” Freedom House also reported that “Cuba is the only country in the Americas that consistently makes Freedom House’s list of the Worst of the Worst: the World’s Most Repressive Societies for widespread abuses of political rights and civil liberties.”

Considering that the United States is receiving no substantive financial incentive from Obama’s initiative, and human rights considerations are essentially ignored, why has the White House chosen to aid the Castro regime at a time when Havana is assisting Moscow’s expanding military presence in Latin America?
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Last July, The Guardian reported that “Russia has quietly reached an agreement with Cuba to reopen a Soviet-era spy base on America’s doorstep, …The deal to reopen the signals intelligence facility in Lourdes, south of Havana.”

The move is part of a larger Russian effort to expand militarily throughout Latin America. The authoritative Jamestown Foundation  has reported:

“Nobody should think that Moscow’s aggressive campaign to restore its former status as a global great power or its fundamentally anti-American policy is currently confined to Ukraine. Indeed, while the invasion, occupation and annexation of Crimea—not to mention the threats to eastern Ukraine—continue, Moscow is also seeking to expand its military, political and economic footprint in Latin America. Russia seeks to establish permanent bases in the Western Hemisphere to challenge the U.S.  With Brazil, Moscow is trying to generate interest in joint development of combat aircraft and surface-to-air missile systems. If successful, this would mark a step toward creating a group of industrialized countries that employ Russian designs and design bureaus for creating their own military hardware, thereby making the Russian defense sector more secure, pervasive and particularly significant in high-tech areas. Meanwhile, Moscow will sell entire weapons systems to less-developed countries endowed with cash, as it has done with Venezuela he United States’ policies as well as to try to peel away US allies from Washington’s influence. … But arms sales hardly exhaust Russia’s repertoire here. Perhaps the most significant move was revealed on February 26 by Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu when he described a global plan of potential bases for the Russian Navy. These targets for bases also include countries in Asia like the Seychelles Islands and Singapore (RIA Novosti, February 26). In Latin America, Russia is seeking bases in Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela, all of whom are Moscow’s allies. Yet, significantly, two of these states—Cuba and Venezuela—could face a change of leadership or even regime in the near future. These proposed naval bases represent an effort to undermine the US and its allies in Latin America (ITAR-TASS March 5; lignet.com, March 18). Indeed, the Russian military is also seeking equatorial bases for refueling its Long-Range Aircraft, suggesting combat missions for them in the vicinity of either Latin America or North America (ITAR-TASS, March 5). Nicaraguan media reports, meanwhile, pointed to the expansionist logic behind Russia’s bases and Moscow’s desire to challenge the United States in its “backyard.” These reports also noted that the Barack Obama Administration has done little or nothing to counter the expansion of Russian and Chinese influence into Latin America (La Prensa, March 3, 4).”

Moscow has helped create and foster anti-U.S. activities in Latin America that go far beyond the usual verbal expressions of disdain for the United States.

As previously reported in the New York Analysis of Policy & Government  “With the assistance of China, Russia, and Iran, a number of Latin American and Caribbean nations are developing a new, hostile military structure. The Strategy Center’s study on the Advance of Radical Populist Doctrine in Latin America describes how Venezuela has utilized its vast income from oil sales to develop an anti-U.S. movement in the western hemisphere. Entitled ALBA (also known as the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America) it was initially formed by the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez in 2004 and includes Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Dominica, Ecuador, Antigua & Barbuda, and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines.

“The organization espouses an overtly anti-capitalist agenda.

“According to a Bolivian diplomatic document reviewed by the New York Analysis of Policy & Government, the organization seeks to develop a number of cooperative economic initiatives, and most importantly, a “new military doctrine.”  This alliance is clearly anti-U.S….

“Gen. John Kelly, in charge of the U.S. Southern Command which has responsibility for Latin American security matters, is deeply worried that the slashed American defense budget has been deeply detrimental to our interests in Latin America and is ‘significantly degrading our ability to defend the southern approaches to the United States.”

Clearly, America gains very little from normalizing relations with Cuba. The White House has failed to explain its motive for doing so, other than the President’s dislike for continuing policies that predate his administration.

Providing unreciprocated concessions to a regime that continues to violate human rights, supports terrorism, and has recently welcomed military threats against America onto its soil renders both the existence and timing of Mr. Obama’s actions deeply troubling.

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Moscow’s military buildup is offensive, not defensive

The most worrisome aspect of Moscow’s intense military buildup is the offensive nature of the weapons and tactics emphasized. The advanced nuclear weapons technology upgrades, including both strategic and tactical weapons being implemented are complemented by advanced conventional weaponry additions.

2014 marked the first time that Russia attained strategic nuclear superiority over the U.S., as well as a ten to one lead in tactical atomic weapons.

As reported by the pro-Moscow news source Sputnik International,  the Sevmash shipyard is constructing four next-generation nuclear submarines, the first time in history this many have been constructed at once. The question, of course, is why the economically challenged Putin regime is concentrating so much of its resources on building an offensive-oriented military at a time when there are no threats to Russia.  Indeed, at a time when the U.S. defense budget has been cut, when the U.S. Army is being reduced to its lowest level since before World War II, the Navy its lowest level since World War I, and the USAF at its lowest level ever, there remains no credible excuse other than offensive operations for the ongoing, vast Russian buildup.

According to Sputnik, “This year, Sevmash is constructing Yasen-M- and Borei-A-class nuclear-powered submarines, the Kazan and the Prince Vladimir, as well as the multipurpose nuclear submarine Novosibirsk and the nuclear submarine Prince Oleg.” In 2014, the same shipyard constructed and transferred two Yasen- and Borei-class nuclear-powered submarines, the Severodvinsk and the Vladimir Monomakh.”

The same source also reports that the “Russian Air Force and Naval Aviation units are to receive Over 200 New Aircraft in 2015.  Also planned for future delivery is an updated long-range military transport plane…The IL-76MD-90A [long range cargo plane] was developed to transport a range of military equipment, armed personnel, heavy and long size vehicles and cargoes.” This is precisely the type of aircraft necessary for operations far from the Russian homeland.
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With no threat on its borders, particularly in light of Europe’s underfunded military and the withdrawal of American tanks from Europe in 2014, and the significant U.S. sequestration cuts, there is no defensive reason for the Kremlin’s costly and far-ranging military buildup.

The global reach of Putin’s military stretches far beyond Ukraine, which despite a recent agreement remains the source of ongoing fighting. It extends beyond Europe, which Moscow has threatened with Iskander nuclear missiles (there are no US or European equivalent weapons) and overflights by military aircraft. The United Kingdom’s RAF has had to deter Russian nuclear-capable Bear bombers away from its coast, a continuation of Moscow’s ongoing threatening military flights towards European airspace. Citing the imminent danger of the Kremlin’s military towards the Baltic states, UK defense minister Michael Fallon sounded a cautionary note of the “clear and present danger” against these NATO members.

Russia is aggressively moving to establish a military presence in Latin America. In February, Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu penned military deals with Cuba, Niaragua and Venezuela.  The deals allow Russian naval vessels to dock in the Latin America, establishes joint military drills, and furthers  cooperation between the armed forces of the several nations.  The deal enhances relations already emplaced by weapons sales.

It is apparently not fashionable for the American press to report much on these matters, and the Obama Administration has demonstrated no significant level of concern.

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Venezuela’s Threat

Life in Venezuela continues to be an exercise in fear and intimidation. The virulently anti-American regime continues to work jointly with Russian and Iranian military interests, suppresses free speech, and brutally oppresses political opposition. Those calling for freedom are incarcerated without trial.  The government authorizes paramilitary organizations to perform acts of violence on those with the courage to speak out against its atrocities. In one rare case where a non-establishment candidate, Antonio Ledezma, did succeed in winning an election as mayor of Caracas, the government robbed him of authority by creating an alternative city hall.

Venezuela’s problems deeply affect the United States. Some of those arriving illegally on our southern border are escaping the terrible conditions in their homeland. But Venezuela has far more dangerous exports, as well. The national government utilizes its oil wealth to finance military threats against both the U.S. and its Latin American neighbors, purchasing arms and expertise from China, Iran, and Russia.

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Luis Fleischman, writing for Menges, notes that although the House of Representatives has passed legislation enabling sanctions on Venezuela, the Senate has failed to go along.

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The Growing Threat in Latin America

U.S. citizens are barely aware of the propaganda war being waged against them south of the border. It isn’t all words, either.  With the assistance of China, Russia, and Iran, a number of Latin American and Caribbean nations are developing a new, hostile military structure.

The Strategy Center’s study on the Advance of Radical Populist Doctrine in Latin America  describes how Venezuela has utilized its vast income from oil sales to develop an anti-U.S. movement in the western hemisphere. Entitled ALBA (also known as the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America) it was initially formed by the late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez in 2004 and includes Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Dominica, Ecuador, Antigua & Barbuda, and Saint Vincent & the Grenadines.

The organization espouses an overtly anti-capitalist agenda.

According to a Bolivian diplomatic document reviewed by the New York Analysis of Policy & Government, the organization seeks to develop a number of cooperative economic initiatives, and most importantly, a “new military doctrine.”  This alliance is clearly anti-U.S.

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Gen. John Kelly, in charge of the U.S. Southern Command which has responsibility for Latin American security matters, is deeply worried that the slashed American defense budget has been deeply detrimental to our interests in Latin America and is “significantly degrading our ability to defend the southern approaches to the United States.”