Saturday, March 14, 2009
The testing continues: Will President Obama defend the Monroe Doctrine?
First China confronted our Navy, and now Russia is speaking "hypothetically" about basing strategic bombers in Venezuela and Cuba:
A Russian Air Force chief said Saturday that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has offered an island as a temporary base for strategic Russian bombers, the Interfax news agency reported.
The chief of staff of Russia's long range aviation, Maj. Gen. Anatoly Zhikharev, also said Cuba could be used to base the aircraft, Interfax reported.
The ghost of President Monroe hopes that we have a plan to shove back.
7 Comments:
By 
Purple Avenger, at
Sat Mar 14, 10:27:00 AM:
Obama is getting rolled like a Bowery drunk with a $20 bill hanging out of his pocket.
By Dawnfire82, at
Sat Mar 14, 10:50:00 AM:
The Russians have a low opinion of Obama, personally. They'll push him wherever they can because they're sure he'll bend.
By 
, at
Sat Mar 14, 12:08:00 PM:
Agreed ... Russia, Venezuela and Iran all need high crude oil prices, and they are going to create a real or hypothetical event to achieve it. A disruption in the supply, or a recommitment to building up their presence near us to stand down the One on the missile defenses in Europe.
By Kinuachdrach, at
Sat Mar 14, 03:00:00 PM:
Will Obama defend the Monroe Doctrine? To ask the question is to answer it.
But all Russia wants from Obama is a groveling apology and unilateral disarmament -- both of which they can get whenever they want. Russia's real strategic concern is that it could so easily lose empty resource-rich Siberia to China. Russia's real goal is to reduce Europe to the status of a disarmed vassal so that it is free to face China.
How long until US forces back out of Germany?
By Stephen, at
Sat Mar 14, 04:07:00 PM:
One week after the President called for a relaxation of trade restrictions with Cuba, the Russians threaten to station nuclear bombers. The Administration's view of the world is that if America unilaterally makes a concession, the other guy will follow, and there will be a ratcheting down of tensions. Another view is that unilateral concessions are seen as a sign of weakness and opponents/rivals will increase their provocations. When has the first strategy ever worked, Mr. President?
As for Monroe, another dead white guy whose Doctrine should be thrown on the ash heap of history.
By Escort81, at
Sat Mar 14, 05:11:00 PM:
Joking responses -
Why would the Russians want to base strategic bombers in Venezuela? Are the jealous that we are now more socialist that the USSR ever was?
or
Why wouldn't the Russians base their military aircraft wherever they want? Didn't they win the Cold War after all?
or
Who cares whether the Russians put warplanes in Venezuela, as long as DEC can make money selling both governments aircraft parts? Party at his house!
-----
Technically, the Monroe Doctrine has been a dead letter for sometime, since there was a quid pro quo inherent in that policy -- that the U.S. would not interfere in European wars or internal affairs, and European powers would not interfere in the Americas. U.S. involvement in two world wars, both with significant European theatres of operation, would seem to undercut or render moot the specific equation in the Doctrine, while in no way (from a realpolitik standpoint) making it acceptable for threats to the U.S. to be placed by outside powers in this hemisphere.
In the modern, post-WWII and Cold War era, there has really only been one major incident that directly tested U.S. security in its own back yard -- the Cuban Missle Crisis. (In the Falklands War, we supplied intelligence to the non-Americas power in the conflict). The Soviets tried to make mischief in any number of countries in the Americas besides Cuba (Nicaragua, El Salvador, etc.), all of which were hugely cash flow negative to the Soviet Empire and contributed in part to its ultimate demise.
Maybe President Obama, as a self-proclaimed Citizen of the World, can come up with the Obama Doctrine: "Non-Hemispheric countries are welcome to do anything they want in this hemisphere, provided that we can all talk nicely to each other and that such countries agree to purchase a sizeable amount of U.S. Government securities."
By , at
Tue Mar 17, 01:38:00 AM:
What we realy need is a constitutional amendment that bars any undocumented aliens from being allowed to apply for citizenship or to be allowed to hold a job and to end all forgein control or ownership of any part of america and to completely evict the Un FROM OUR NATION
