nkdlunch
09-23-2008, 10:11 AM
meanwhile in the backyard, as USA cleans up mess in their kitchen....
Moscow strengthens presence in U.S.' backyard
Answering eastward press by Washington, Russia flashes arms, chums up with Bush foes in Latin America
By Alex Rodriguez
Chicago Tribune correspondent
September 23, 2008
MOSCOW—When the Bush administration dispatched two U.S. warships to the Black Sea to deliver humanitarian aid to war-stricken Georgia, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin reacted with indignation and a warning.
"There will be an answer," Putin said during a visit to Uzbekistan. Asked to elaborate, he replied, "You'll see." :wow
This month, the Kremlin has made it clear what Putin meant. It deployed two Russian strategic bombers to Venezuela to patrol Caribbean waters earlier this month, and on Monday it dispatched a navy squadron to Venezuela for military exercises.
The appearance of the Tu-160 bombers and the expected arrival of four Russian warships in a Latin American country run by one of the Bush administration's most outspoken foes, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, marks Moscow's clearest signal yet that it intends to ramp up its influence in Latin America if Washington persists in setting root in territory the Kremlin regards as its backyard.
"It may look unfriendly to Americans, but now you can have the same feeling as we had in Russia," said Andrei Klimov, a Putin loyalist and deputy chairman of the foreign affairs committee for the Duma, Russia's lower chamber of parliament.
Though they posed no immediate military threat, the Russian bombers' visit marked the first such deployment in the Western Hemisphere since the Cold War. They returned last week to their base in Engels, Russia, but the Kremlin plans to send the bombers back to Venezuela for exercises with Chavez's forces in November.
Russian warships that left the naval port of Severomorsk on Monday, including the nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great, will also take part in those exercises.
Little real threat to U.S.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said earlier this month that the bombers' deployment was "something we will watch very closely." From a military standpoint, however, their appearance in Venezuela carries little significance. Though capable of carrying nuclear weapons, the bombers were not armed and were shadowed by NATO fighter jets over the Atlantic.
Nevertheless, their deployment, along with the departure of the warships Monday, signals the Kremlin's willingness to vent its fury over U.S. missile defense plans in Eastern Europe and NATO's eastward expansion by strengthening alliances with Latin American governments that dislike Washington.
From the viewpoint of Russians, it's hard to understand why a country that espouses Monroe Doctrine philosophy to safeguard its own corner of the world sees nothing awry with staking out territory in former Soviet republics.
"This can be seen as reciprocity," said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Russia in Global Affairs magazine. "The message is, if you don't respect our interests in neighboring countries, in what President [ Dmitry] Medvedev calls our sphere of privileged interests, then don't be surprised when we do the same in your sphere."
Until recently, the Kremlin has shown scant interest in Latin America. In 2001, Putin, then Russia's president, shut down Russia's sprawling electronic surveillance base near Havana, telling Russians that their country needed to devote its attention and money to its biggest trading partner—Europe.
However, as Russia has used its energy wealth to re-emerge as a geopolitical power in recent years, it has sought out alliances with faraway governments.
With Chavez becoming one of the Western Hemisphere's most problematic leaders for Washington, the Kremlin has nurtured stronger ties with him. Russia has sold Venezuela $4 billion in arms, including 24 Su-30 fighter jets.
Chavez also has expressed interest in buying as many as 20 anti-aircraft missile systems and three Russian submarines. And he has said he would welcome the establishment of Russian military bases in his country if Russia ever chose that path.
Russia's burgeoning friendship with Chavez has coincided with the Bush administration's push for a missile defense system based in Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as its strong support for NATO membership for former Soviet republics Georgia and Ukraine.
Talks with Havana
Venezuela isn't the only Latin American nation forging stronger ties with Moscow. Russian leaders have visited Havana twice in recent weeks to discuss economic cooperation in energy and other fields after Putin said this summer that Russia "should restore our position in Cuba."
And so far, the only other nation to join Russia in recognizing the statehood of Georgia's pro-Moscow breakaway enclaves, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, has been Nicaragua, led by leftist leader Daniel Ortega.
Klimov says Washington's actions in Russia's neighborhood are forcing the Kremlin to step up its forays into Latin America. "What can we do when surrounded by NATO forces? Of course, we have to find places in the world where we can have partners, who can help us in difficult times," he said.
Though Russia's renewed interest in Latin America may seem disquieting, some experts say Russia lacks the resources to take any actions that could be regarded as a genuine threat in the Western Hemisphere. Its military remains a shadow of its former self during the Soviet era, when the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 brought the Kremlin and Washington to the brink of nuclear war.
"Sending those bombers to Venezuela is simply a byproduct of the euphoria our leaders feel after the war in Georgia," said Marina Chumakova, director of the Political Studies Center at Moscow's Latin American Institute. "Russia has no extra money to spend on stirring up a crisis, no resources to become a strategic partner for these countries."
Moscow strengthens presence in U.S.' backyard
Answering eastward press by Washington, Russia flashes arms, chums up with Bush foes in Latin America
By Alex Rodriguez
Chicago Tribune correspondent
September 23, 2008
MOSCOW—When the Bush administration dispatched two U.S. warships to the Black Sea to deliver humanitarian aid to war-stricken Georgia, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin reacted with indignation and a warning.
"There will be an answer," Putin said during a visit to Uzbekistan. Asked to elaborate, he replied, "You'll see." :wow
This month, the Kremlin has made it clear what Putin meant. It deployed two Russian strategic bombers to Venezuela to patrol Caribbean waters earlier this month, and on Monday it dispatched a navy squadron to Venezuela for military exercises.
The appearance of the Tu-160 bombers and the expected arrival of four Russian warships in a Latin American country run by one of the Bush administration's most outspoken foes, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, marks Moscow's clearest signal yet that it intends to ramp up its influence in Latin America if Washington persists in setting root in territory the Kremlin regards as its backyard.
"It may look unfriendly to Americans, but now you can have the same feeling as we had in Russia," said Andrei Klimov, a Putin loyalist and deputy chairman of the foreign affairs committee for the Duma, Russia's lower chamber of parliament.
Though they posed no immediate military threat, the Russian bombers' visit marked the first such deployment in the Western Hemisphere since the Cold War. They returned last week to their base in Engels, Russia, but the Kremlin plans to send the bombers back to Venezuela for exercises with Chavez's forces in November.
Russian warships that left the naval port of Severomorsk on Monday, including the nuclear-powered cruiser Peter the Great, will also take part in those exercises.
Little real threat to U.S.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said earlier this month that the bombers' deployment was "something we will watch very closely." From a military standpoint, however, their appearance in Venezuela carries little significance. Though capable of carrying nuclear weapons, the bombers were not armed and were shadowed by NATO fighter jets over the Atlantic.
Nevertheless, their deployment, along with the departure of the warships Monday, signals the Kremlin's willingness to vent its fury over U.S. missile defense plans in Eastern Europe and NATO's eastward expansion by strengthening alliances with Latin American governments that dislike Washington.
From the viewpoint of Russians, it's hard to understand why a country that espouses Monroe Doctrine philosophy to safeguard its own corner of the world sees nothing awry with staking out territory in former Soviet republics.
"This can be seen as reciprocity," said Fyodor Lukyanov, editor of Russia in Global Affairs magazine. "The message is, if you don't respect our interests in neighboring countries, in what President [ Dmitry] Medvedev calls our sphere of privileged interests, then don't be surprised when we do the same in your sphere."
Until recently, the Kremlin has shown scant interest in Latin America. In 2001, Putin, then Russia's president, shut down Russia's sprawling electronic surveillance base near Havana, telling Russians that their country needed to devote its attention and money to its biggest trading partner—Europe.
However, as Russia has used its energy wealth to re-emerge as a geopolitical power in recent years, it has sought out alliances with faraway governments.
With Chavez becoming one of the Western Hemisphere's most problematic leaders for Washington, the Kremlin has nurtured stronger ties with him. Russia has sold Venezuela $4 billion in arms, including 24 Su-30 fighter jets.
Chavez also has expressed interest in buying as many as 20 anti-aircraft missile systems and three Russian submarines. And he has said he would welcome the establishment of Russian military bases in his country if Russia ever chose that path.
Russia's burgeoning friendship with Chavez has coincided with the Bush administration's push for a missile defense system based in Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as its strong support for NATO membership for former Soviet republics Georgia and Ukraine.
Talks with Havana
Venezuela isn't the only Latin American nation forging stronger ties with Moscow. Russian leaders have visited Havana twice in recent weeks to discuss economic cooperation in energy and other fields after Putin said this summer that Russia "should restore our position in Cuba."
And so far, the only other nation to join Russia in recognizing the statehood of Georgia's pro-Moscow breakaway enclaves, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, has been Nicaragua, led by leftist leader Daniel Ortega.
Klimov says Washington's actions in Russia's neighborhood are forcing the Kremlin to step up its forays into Latin America. "What can we do when surrounded by NATO forces? Of course, we have to find places in the world where we can have partners, who can help us in difficult times," he said.
Though Russia's renewed interest in Latin America may seem disquieting, some experts say Russia lacks the resources to take any actions that could be regarded as a genuine threat in the Western Hemisphere. Its military remains a shadow of its former self during the Soviet era, when the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 brought the Kremlin and Washington to the brink of nuclear war.
"Sending those bombers to Venezuela is simply a byproduct of the euphoria our leaders feel after the war in Georgia," said Marina Chumakova, director of the Political Studies Center at Moscow's Latin American Institute. "Russia has no extra money to spend on stirring up a crisis, no resources to become a strategic partner for these countries."