re: Latin America
I recently received an email raising questions about Hugo Chavez's connections with Russia and Iran and the role that Citgo plays in supporting Chavez's anti-American activities. The message claims that it is verified by SNOPES, yet does not give the link to the Snopes page that would verify it. I checked it out and found out that while there is some truth in the notice, it is basically mostly trash and Snopes carefully explains what is true and what is drivel designed to alarm people and incite them to take inconsequential action.
The truth is bad enough without being loaded with such narrishkeit* and U.S. foreign and domestic policy has put us at risk from Putin in Russia, Ahmadinejad in Iran, and Chavez in Venezuela. But note that the economic consequence of the precipitous drop in the cost of a barrel of oil is being felt by all three. However, they certainly warrant the strongest possible diplomatic action on the part of the U.S. to forestall an ongoing threat to our national interests and to Europe. Until recently Russia had been holding Europe, including some of the former Soviet satellite states such as Georgia and Ukraine, hostage to the availability of natural gas.
As for munitions factories in Venezuela, the Russians have been active there for some time now and are increasing their activities which, it is estimated, will significantly increase the production of armaments in the next couple of years. This too is of concern to us as are all of Russia's, Iran's and Venezuela's activities in the Western Hemisphere. And while all that has been happening it appears that the Bush Administration has once again been asleep at the helm of the U.S. Ship of State. Here are references to two articles that generally discusses this problem for the U.S.:
The Economist - Latin American Diplomacy
The Economist - Venezuela and The Kremlin
There are numerous very conservative publications and bloggers that present the same information in a much more emphatic and perhaps hostile manner.
To depend upon the drop of energy revenues to harm Russia, Iran and Venezuela is probably putting the cart before the horse. I consider the current economic collapse throughout the industrialized nations including the U.S. and our dependence on foreign energy, bigger threats to our security than what is happening immediately in Venezuela. Until we resolve the economic crisis and stop spending half a trillion dollars a year importing energy, we will be like a flea running up the tail of a bear with the thought of rape in mind.
President Obama will have more than enough to keep him and his brain trust busy for the next four years. One thing he has to do is operate full scale on multiple interrelated problems at once. He can not do one thing at a time as Bush has done, acting as if we can't walk and chew gum at the same time. Not only is the mid-east (Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan) deserving of our attention, so is Latin America, the Far East, Europe, Africa and the rest of the world simultaneously.
*Narrishkeit: A Yiddish word: See Definition
The truth is bad enough without being loaded with such narrishkeit* and U.S. foreign and domestic policy has put us at risk from Putin in Russia, Ahmadinejad in Iran, and Chavez in Venezuela. But note that the economic consequence of the precipitous drop in the cost of a barrel of oil is being felt by all three. However, they certainly warrant the strongest possible diplomatic action on the part of the U.S. to forestall an ongoing threat to our national interests and to Europe. Until recently Russia had been holding Europe, including some of the former Soviet satellite states such as Georgia and Ukraine, hostage to the availability of natural gas.
As for munitions factories in Venezuela, the Russians have been active there for some time now and are increasing their activities which, it is estimated, will significantly increase the production of armaments in the next couple of years. This too is of concern to us as are all of Russia's, Iran's and Venezuela's activities in the Western Hemisphere. And while all that has been happening it appears that the Bush Administration has once again been asleep at the helm of the U.S. Ship of State. Here are references to two articles that generally discusses this problem for the U.S.:
The Economist - Latin American Diplomacy
The Economist - Venezuela and The Kremlin
There are numerous very conservative publications and bloggers that present the same information in a much more emphatic and perhaps hostile manner.
To depend upon the drop of energy revenues to harm Russia, Iran and Venezuela is probably putting the cart before the horse. I consider the current economic collapse throughout the industrialized nations including the U.S. and our dependence on foreign energy, bigger threats to our security than what is happening immediately in Venezuela. Until we resolve the economic crisis and stop spending half a trillion dollars a year importing energy, we will be like a flea running up the tail of a bear with the thought of rape in mind.
President Obama will have more than enough to keep him and his brain trust busy for the next four years. One thing he has to do is operate full scale on multiple interrelated problems at once. He can not do one thing at a time as Bush has done, acting as if we can't walk and chew gum at the same time. Not only is the mid-east (Israel, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan) deserving of our attention, so is Latin America, the Far East, Europe, Africa and the rest of the world simultaneously.
*Narrishkeit: A Yiddish word: See Definition
posted by Michael | 3:01 AM
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