Coming Soon to a Dictatorship Near You
You know all those history books that declared the cold war dead when the Berlin wall came down? Well, they may have been a little premature in their words. Russia, lead by the “not the leader, not a dictator” Vladamir Putin has been making a very strong military buildup in the last few years. Huge oil revenues gave Russia a pretty big boost in their coffers, and they have been spending like mad to rebuild their military. Actions in Georgia as well other moves (such as attempts to claim the North Pole area for it’s resources) show Russia flexing it’s newly returned muscles.
The most worrisome for Americans is the closer relations between Russia, Cuba, and now Venezuela, where near dictator Hugo Chavez pretty much does whatever he can to piss off Americans. So two stories that show that Russia is considering using Cuban airbases and that Chavez has offered the Russians space in Venezuela is enough to raise some concern in the west. The only good news is that all three of the countries involved are suffering greatly from the downturn in oil prices, they need prices nearer to $100 to support all their socialist and military aspirations, which means that oil in the mid $40 range isn’t enough to keep them at this level for long. Russia in particular has been flexing it’s muscles mostly because the US is current over engaged in Iraq, which makes it difficult for them to put up any major resistance to Russian moves. That will change as the US leaves Iraq, which is likely why the Russians are working so hard now to build up their bases. It also adds strength to the reasons why the US needs to work to bring Cuba back into the western influence, Read the stories here and here.
