Chavez, Ex-USSR: A New Axis?
Chavez, Ex-USSR: A New Axis?
IBD ^ | 7/25/2006
Moscow's $1 billion sale of top-flight military aircraft to Venezuela's erratic dictator isn't just business. It's unfriendly to the U.S. and a sign of a revived Cold War. ...
His latest recruit was Belarus, where he signed an "anti-U.S. pact" Monday with this Russian satellite, praising Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, who admits to having a soft spot for Stalin. "Our countries must keep their hands at the ready on the sword," Chavez said. ...
There isn't any doubt Russia's $1 billion contract to sell Venezuela 30 Sukhoi jet aircraft and 33 helicopters will be trouble. ...
All are perfect for internal repression against dissent and against "color revolutions" (read: the Orange, Denim, and probable future Venezuelan and Cuban colored-coded democratic revolutions), the very idea of which Chavez slammed in Belarus this week. ...
Why Russian President Vladimir Putin would do this to us, given all the considerations the G-8, the West, and the U.S. have shown to Russia in the wake of its transition from communism leaves us aghast, and ought to change our perceptions....
But Putin also seeks to project Russia's power, and he resents the growing democracy movements on Russia's periphery — in U.S.-supported countries like Georgia, Ukraine and Belarus — just as Russia cracks down.
His move to sell advanced military aircraft to Venezuela on our periphery is a message to Washington to stop supporting democracy revolutions, or he'll retaliate, using dodgy actors like Chavez, whom Putin's spokesman yesterday called "a key partner." It's a dangerous trend.
"He's building a nuclear reactor for Iran," said Katzman. "Do you think he is going to stop at fighter planes for Venezuela?" We wonder the same thing.
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks