Putin The Conqueror Expands To South America



It's no secret Vladimir Putin wants Russia to be the great superpower again it was before the collapse of the USSR. It's also obvious that Putin wants to maintain relevance on the world stage. Russia is energy rich, politically astute, and has a reputation for a strong military - thus, a force to be reckoned with. It uses this power to its advantage across the globe as The Washington Times explains.


Russia's Middle East Meddling
In the Middle East Russia is working to establish stronger ties with Iran, assisting with a missile defense system (S-300) to prevent any future potential US strike. Meanwhile, Iran continues using proxy terrorist strategies across the Middle East as a method to serve its political will. And, of course, we know all too well what Russia has been doing in Syria propping up the Assad regime, while claiming to defend their Russian military port, now Russia has an airbase in Syria too. Today, Syria has been all but destroyed leaving a humanitarian disaster of epic proportions overflowing into neighboring nations and even into Europe. We may not know the full implications for another decade.

Taking Advantage in Africa
On the African continent Russia is heavily involved in South Africa. You've heard of BRICS right? A trade alliance with Brazil, Russia, India, China, and that "S" at the end was added for South Africa. And, let's not forget Gadhafi in Libya before his demise, also propped up by Russia, allowing him to get away with murder, literally (Pan Am flight 103, Lockerbie, Scotland). Russia has also sold arms to, sent in military advisors, and/or made mining and energy investments in Algeria, Angola, Central African Republic, Egypt, Nigeria, Mozambique, Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Uganda.

Russian Strategic Energy Advantage in Europe
In Eastern Europe Russia is trying to re-establish lost ground in areas which were once the former Soviet Union. Russia has been using its vast natural gas resources to serve its political will in Europe, all the while threatening more territory grabs. If you'd like to get yourself up to speed on just what has been going on with Russia's global shenanigans, you might want to read what The FDD (Foundation for Defense of Democracies) has to say. According to many of the leading experts on Russian foreign policy, Putin's ambitions globally know no bounds and standing up to The United States gives him plenty of credit with other rogue leaders around the world. The U.S. cannot dismiss Putin’s actions, otherwise by default we are granting him permission to sew chaos across the globe.

Putin's Puppets Propagate in Western Hemisphere
Not only is Russia meddling in affairs in Europe, Asia, the Middle East and Africa, but also in our own Western Hemisphere in Central and South America. No, we are not talking about its relations with Fidel Castro in Cuba during the cold war - we are talking about today, as Fox News reports. Putin, the ultimate Machiavellian 'RISK' board gamer, appears to be enjoying his role. As one of the leading foreign policy think tanks helps put all this into perspective in a recent article on Vladamir Putin's geopolitical strategy, explaining why we shouldn't expect him to contain his ambitions anytime soon.

We've known of Putin's attempt at recruitment of client nation-states in our hemisphere, now he's upping the ante, developing even closer ties in Central and South America. During the Obama Administration, Russia was one of the instigators along with Cuba, and Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and his pet sidekick Evo Morales of Bolivia (who Chavez nicknamed Simon Bolivar re-incarnated) in the formation of ALBA (Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America). ALBA worked to malign and discredit the U.S. in Central and South America during Chavez' reign in Venezuela.

Perhaps you remember the verbal assault from Hugo Chavez gave at the United Nations during the Obama Administration? Well, that same rhetoric is still being used long after Hugo Chavez' death with Nicholas Maduro’s Regime even though Venezuela is in a total state of chaos - protests in the streets, citizens starving, and complete economic collapse - all the while being propped up by Putin.



Putin Playing High-Stakes Poker for Power in Venezuela
Russia has tens of billions to lose in yet to be paid for military hardware sales and oil investments in Venezuela. It seems every time the United States attempts to enforce human rights laws, legitimate government elections, or finds itself at odds with a rogue nation-state, Russia runs over to make a new friend, as The Hill states.

Could it get any worse? Well, yes, especially if Vladimir Putin has anything to say about it. Consider if you will that we have Iran, China, and Russia eyeing potential opportunity as the U.S. reduces aid in Central America, and as Venezuela hits rock bottom. It's a mess, as a humanitarian crisis, and it won't fix itself. A Syrian Déjà vu, let's hope not, but it appears to be.


Who will pick up the pieces?

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