Russian Moves In The Americas

Russia's Vladimir Putin And Venezuela's Hugo Chavez

From Newsweek:

Russia's push into the region could force others into an arms race that no one wants or can afford.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's surprising announcement in early August that his country would seek to "re-establish" ties with the Soviet Union's old allies in Havana stirred up excitement in many foreign newsrooms, and raised eyebrows in a few foreign ministries around the world. Coming in the wake of a three-day visit to Cuba by a high-level Russian delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin, and of reports about the possibility of the Russian military's using the Caribbean island as a fueling station for its Bear bombers, which are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, the flurry of news evoked memories of the 1962 missile crisis and a new "threat" to the United States from across the Florida Straits.

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My Comment: I addressed this issue a few weeks ago, responding to an article from Investor's Business Daily. Russia does not have the resources nor manpower to establish a "significant" military presence in the Americas. Their current priority is on the home front and with their neighbors. Their long term strategic interests will reside in pacifying their former republics to follow a more "Russian" line, and their concerns with China as it develops into a 21rst century super power.

The only asset that their allies in the Americas can provide to Russia are .... (1) political alliances that will help them on the international scene, (2) a nuisance factor for the Americans, and (3) a market for their weapon systems. Beyond that .... the Americas are as important to Russia as Mongolia is for the the U.S.