Posted on 09/28/2015 7:00:19 PM PDT by Citizen Zed
Any story that touches on nukes, cocaine, and cutting-edge Russian military hardware ought to be at least as exciting as the Cuban Missile Crisis, but the truth is probably a lot less entertaining and just plain sad.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro recently announced plans to buy at least 12 Su-30 long-range multi-role fighters from Moscow, augmenting the country's existing fleet of 23 Su-30MK2 long-range multi-role fighters. Russian arms shipments to Latin America have historically offered plenty of intrigue (i.e. the Cuban Missile Crisis), largely because they tend to clash with the Monroe Doctrine, more colloquially known as "Gringo Imperialism."
Basically, under the Monroe Doctrine, which dates all the way back to 1823 and President James Monroe, the US forbid other countries from messing around in Latin America. When the Cold War happened, Soviet interest in Latin America turned out to be a perfect match for much of the region's disinterest in Washington, leading the Kremlin to start sticking it to Uncle Sam with shipments of Kalashnikovs.
Once upon a time, the US and Venezuela had pretty good relations. But lately, under Maduro and his late predecessor Hugo Chavez, relations between the countries have been less than amiable. Western weapons exports to Venezuela all but ceased by 2002, including the parts required to keep Venezuela's US-made F-16 fighter jets in the air. By 2006, Venezuela had shifted far enough from the West to agree to the purchase of $3 billion in military equipment from Russia, including new fighter jets.
Russia's continued arms sales in the region have involved other posturing by Moscow, such as regular musings about the possibility of basing supersonic Tu-160 bombers armed with nuclear cruise missiles in Venezuela — or perhaps Cuba or Nicaragua instead. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter where the bombers would be based. The Kremlin has been equal parts provocative and vague about the plan.
The point of the Russian statement has less to do with strategy than indulging in a milder, less apocalyptic, 21st century version of the Cuban Missile Crisis by threatening US perceptions of primacy in its own backyard. It's very stuff of anti-Gringo imperialism, which brings us back to Venezuela.
"Venezuela is interested in more deals with the Russians — that's supposed to send a signal to the US," said Carl Meacham, director of the Americas Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "They are operating with this idea that Venezuela is in the US sphere of influence, so they're keen to aid Russian efforts to intrude."
But if the Russians are just selling the jets to irk Washington — and earn a few extra rubles — why would Venezuela be interested in buying the new aircraft?
On one level, Venezuela has a right to self-defense, so having a couple dozen jets is perfectly normal. The Su-30MK2 is a very good plane, easily on par with its direct Western peer competitors. But that begs the question of who, precisely, Venezuela is defending against. Tensions with neighboring nations Colombia and Guyana have been running high, or it could simply be that the Venezuelan government wants to be able to put up at least something of a fight if it ever came to blows against the US.
The Venezuelan government, however, claims the jets are intended to do something that, at least in theory, should please US lawmakers: Fight the war on drugs. Cocaine traffickers have used Venezuelan airspace to transport their shipments for decades. Caracas lost one of its Russian fighters this year during an anti-trafficking mission, and the Venezuelan government now says it's expanding its coverage to also patrol the skies above Bolivia.
According to Meacham, there's ample cause for skepticism about these claims. "Venezuela has been lacking a commitment to stopping drug traffic within their airspace, and have a cozy relationship with drug producers and traffickers in the area," he said. "They have nothing to back up the assertion that they'd be committed to dealing with or lessening narco-traffickers from transporting drugs."
In other words, it could be that Venezuela isn't interested so much in stopping all drug shipments — just ones from certain groups. But if the Venezuelans are buying a new crop of hotshot fighter jets and it's not for the coke, then why? In Meacham's opinion, it could just be a kind of political entertainment for the masses.
"Venezuela is in a dark, dark place economically and politically, and any sort of event in which it can either distract its population from its domestic situation, or distract countries around the world to the conflict between the US and the Venezuela serves [Maduro's] purposes," he said.
Without the Pacem Americanus the next world war is going to truly be a world war.
It looks like Putin has been studying and waiting for the right moment. However, I tend to think Obama and Putin work together since both are communists. But, at some point one communist must outdo the other.
Money for jets but no money for toilet paper.
I found the tone of this article to be disrespectful of white people.
*please forgive me ...*
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