December 24, 2010
A Hostile World Closes In
It is odd that one doesn't hear, see, or read more on this:
Among the two most alarming revelations is the already completed sale and delivery, to Venezuela by Russia, of nearly 2,000 advanced, shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles capable of hitting aircraft as high as 19,000 feet. Equally and perhaps more alarming is an October agreement between Iran and Venezuela. The agreement establishes a joint ground-to-ground missile base on Venezuelan soil and calls for the sharing of missile technology and the training of technicians and officers. In addition, Venezuela may use the missiles as it chooses for "national needs" and in case of "emergency." Several types of missiles will be deployed, giving Venezuela the ability to strike targets throughout South and Central America and throughout the U.S.The dangers arising from the Marxist, cult-of-personality rule of Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez are many. These weapons are only the largest and most destructive purchased or finagled by Chavez. He has also purchased an enormous number of Russian assault rifles — the real thing, fully automatic military rifles, not the non-existent "assault weapons" of gun control imaginations and press releases — and related weapons and ammunition.
A hostile dictator to the south — not far beyond our increasingly anarchic southern neighbor — is arming himself to the teeth, and coverage thereof appears somewhat less intensive than the media's handling of Lindsay Lohan's latest doings. Certainly, the White House doesn't give the impression of being concerned.
One suspects that (to some degree) folks in the mainstream media and administration are sympathetic to such arguments as I hear from time to time in the comments sections — namely, that a leftist dictator who's spent the last decade consolidating his power has a right to arm his country in response the U.S. hegemony. Not for no reason did Chavez cheer Americans' unserious, deluded act of electing Barack Obama.
Minus the Iran surface to surface missile situation,this wouldn't be too alarming.
That throws a dangerous wrench into the gears.
The usual leftists are either fools or are in denial.
Venezuela's armed forces could be virtually obliterated in a short time by US strategic power if Chavez were crazy enough to initiate a conflict.
He more likely would attack Colombia.Colombia and Chile are becoming isolated in a South America of increasingly leftist/nationalist governments.Venezuela,Ecuador,Bolivia,and Brazil for starters.Argentina is hard to define.
Venezuela has a very large Middle Eastern descent population and has for a long time.
The increasing disintegration of the Mexican government's ability to deal with the cartels is part and parcel of the problem.
Meanwhile,the President and DHS Secretary aren't dealing with the problem nearly forcefully enough.
The main stream media are rumpswabs for the likes of Chavez.What makes leftists hate their own country so much?
"A few individual attacks could all but completely paralyze American commerce and wreck an economy already brought to its knees by two years of Obamanomics."
The article Justin uses to inform us about serious foreign policy considerations is not part of mainstream media. That is true. But I don't think anyone can take the line I lifted from the piece that Justin uses to inform himself as serious. Then he adds this on his own;
"Not for no reason did Chavez cheer Americans' unserious, deluded act of electing Barack Obama."
No one will confuse these morsels with anything written in the mainstream media. The Administration (I take it to mean Obama's) is not concerned you say. They're busy wrecking the economy and starting two wars so even you would have to admit that they may be aware of these developments but are not commenting.
Posted by: Phil at December 24, 2010 9:04 AMI don't see too many choices here. As I see it, we must A: Perfect our missle defenses, or, B: Declare Venezuela a "terrorist state", or, C: Simply accept that South America has never known an Anglo-Saxon democracy and assume they will be fighting it out among themselves.
I doubt Russia has forgotten that we gave them their Viet Nam by selling the Afghans Stingers.
I have noted in brief conversations (not really a lot of evidence for a conclusion) that "European" South Americans dislike being ruled by "Indians".
Posted by: Warrington Faust at December 24, 2010 2:42 PMWarrington-your last sentence has some merit,but it's a little more complicated than that.
Posted by: joe bernstein at December 24, 2010 4:51 PMAn extremely disturbing news item. I also was surprised that it received little news comment.
As one news report asked, how long before these missiles enter the various black markets?
On the other hand, I have to wonder what Chavez himself will be thinking when he boards any aircraft in Venezuela.
And ironically, no longer will Venezuela be able to blame the U.S. when Venezuelan aircraft are hit by such missiles.
Posted by: Bill at December 25, 2010 1:05 AMThe Russian arms sale to Venezuela, reminds me of when Ronald Reagan, and Oliver North sold some of our most sophisticated weapons to Iran, (Iran-Contra Scandal) then funneled the cash to the Contras, a right-wing terrorist group who's tactics included murder, rape, beatings, kidnapping and disruption of harvests.
Both the arms sale to Iran, and the money laundering were felonies at the time, and still are today.
Though Dick Cheney's Haliburton-Blackwater still deals with Iran, through off-shore entities
Warrington-your last sentence has some merit,but it's a little more complicated than that.
Posted by joe bernstein
Joe,
I never really studied it. My knowledge comes from a few hunting trips to Central and South America, and temporary Cuban in-laws.. I was regularly stopped by people who simply wanted to speak English. The conversation frequently turned to being ruled by Indians. Several Mexicans reported their families sent money and guns to Texas before the Mexican American war. My impression is that the descendants of Hidalgos still are a presence in Columbia, Venezuela and, before the revolution, Cuba. I didn't notice any anti-American sentiment in those conversations.
Warrington-your last sentence has some merit,but it's a little more complicated than that.
Posted by joe bernstein
Joe,
I never really studied it. My knowledge comes from a few hunting trips to Central and South America, and temporary Cuban in-laws.. I was regularly stopped by people who simply wanted to speak English. The conversation frequently turned to being ruled by Indians. Several Mexicans reported their families sent money and guns to Texas before the Mexican American war. My impression is that the descendants of Hidalgos still are a presence in Columbia, Venezuela and, before the revolution, Cuba. I didn't notice any anti-American sentiment in those conversations.
Warrington-your last sentence has some merit,but it's a little more complicated than that.
Posted by joe bernstein
Joe,
I never really studied it. My knowledge comes from a few hunting trips to Central and South America, and temporary Cuban in-laws.. I was regularly stopped by people who simply wanted to speak English. The conversation frequently turned to being ruled by Indians. Several Mexicans reported their families sent money and guns to Texas before the Mexican American war. My impression is that the descendants of Hidalgos still are a presence in Columbia, Venezuela and, before the revolution, Cuba. I didn't notice any anti-American sentiment in those conversations.