Russia Plans To Add Military Bases In Nicaragua, Venezuela, Other Countries

[Purveyor]

Russia appears to be expanding its military presence in numerous foreign countries like Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua. The move could add more strain on Washington-Moscow relations.

A Russian military vessel already docked at a Havana naval base this week. According to Russia’s defense minister, Sergei Shogu, Moscow is looking to build military bases in Vietnam, Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, the Seychelles, Singapore and several other countries.

The placement of a Russian base in Nicaragua, in particular, is concerning to neighboring Costa Rica.

According to RIA Novosti, a Russian newspaper, Shoigu said that the defense ministry is “close to signing the relevant documents” with the listed countries.

Many have suggested that the move to put military bases in Asia and Latin America is meant as retaliation against the US: after the collapse of the Russian-backed Ukranian government last week, Russia may be making the point that it doesn’t need or want the US meddling in its affairs.

MORE...

http://voxxi.com/2014/02/28/russia-adds-military-bases-latin-america/

[Pretzel_Warrior]

1. go for it, Vlad. It will be your downfall.

[NuclearDem]

2. Wait a darn pickin' minute.

I was told Russia wasn't an imperial power!

[villager]

5. Sorta like we're not!

n/t

[malaise]

3. Well they have way to go to catch up with the US

who has bases in over 100 countries.

I actually like the idea of more than one superpower.

[geek tragedy]

6. except Russia isn't an economic, ideological, or cultural superpower now.

all it's got is bombs

[dipsydoodle]

7. "all it's got is bombs"

Yes - big ones capable of reaching long distance targets.

[libdem4life]

8. They have a long way to go to be a blip on the screen of the globe.

II. More than 1000 US Bases and/or Military Installations

The main sources of information on these military installations (e.g. C. Johnson, the NATO Watch Committee, the International Network for the Abolition of Foreign Military Bases) reveal that the US operates and/or controls between 700 and 800 military bases Worldwide.

In this regard, Hugh d’Andrade and Bob Wing’s 2002 Map 1 entitled “U.S. Military Troops and Bases around the World, The Cost of ‘Permanent War’”, confirms the presence of US military personnel in 156 countries.

The US Military has bases in 63 countries. Brand new military bases have been built since September 11, 2001 in seven countries.

Our tax dollars at work.

Who can blame them?

[Agony]

4. 800 chickens coming home to roost

how can any US citizen blame them for trying to keep up with the Joneses.

[TwilightGardener]

9. That seems a considerable expenditure for no real threat to

their (or those countries') interests.

[Benton D Struckcheon]

10. Damn, that was fast.

So, let's see, if they're putting a base in Vietnam, will they then be backing Vietnam's claims to their part of the South China Sea that falls inside that ludicrous Chinese nine-dot map (or ten dots now, I think)?
Russia putting a base in Vietnam is more of a problem for China than for the US.
Singapore - don't see it.
Nicaragua - Costa Rica has a point. CR doesn't even have an army.
Venezuela - eh whatevs. If the US were to try to topple Maduro, it would be from the inside, not with anything so crude as an aircraft carrier. But given that we want their oil and they want to sell it, whatever irritation the US feels is not enough to threaten that flow. If we no longer need their oil, then we won't care who runs the place anyway. So, eh whatevs.
Seychelles - wot? I think they're part of the British Commonwealth? Someone tell the Queen.

[amandabeech]

14. I have to admit that Putin messing with the Chinese in the South China Sea

would be pretty interesting.

But the question is, does Putin really have that much of a navy anymore?

Costa Rica really does have a point.

[okaawhatever]

20. This article uses a Russian media source so it's integrity is questionable. What Vietnam has said is

that they would allow a ship repair and maintenance base. In exchange, Russia agreed to give Vietnam a $10 billion dollar u.s. loan with $8 billion going to helping it build a nuclear power station. Considering Obama just agreed to help Vietnam build a nuclear power facility, I'm thinking we're staying a step ahead of that one.

Russia in the past has had a base in Cam Rahn, but the Vietnamese government stated they had not agreed to a full base. I'm pretty sure Vietnam is playing this smart and negotiating a deal between Russia and the US to get the best deal for their country.

[Benton D Struckcheon]

11. General comment re this ridiculousness

NO ONE takes Russia seriously, except as a boring irritation.
Their moves in Syria are a desperate attempt to keep the only client they have left in the ME.
This Ukrainian stuff is an equally desperate attempt to keep Sevastopol in particular from being a problem.
They have a legit claim to Sevastopol and to Crimea. But the posts around here seem to want to promote Russia as some kind of world power. It's not. It's a backwater.
This status is entirely the fault of one person: Putin. The place has tremendous potential, but it won't be realized until it has a government that can be taken seriously. Putin's a clown who decided to blow up the importance of Russia's energy resources because it gave him a way to get a lot of power internally, and to stake a claim on the politics of places like the Ukraine. But as long as he does this sort of thing, no one is going to invest anything serious there, and it's going to stunt the country's internal development. It's a shame, because Russians are smart, courteous, gentle people who deserve way better.
The way to power is through prosperity, not the military. That it has big bombs impresses exactly no one. It's an irritant, nothing more.

[TwilightGardener]

13. Thanks for some reality. It seems to be in short supply lately.

[frwrfpos]

12. good

[democratisphere]

15. COLD WAR, PART II

Here we go again. CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS PART II on Deck.

[kelliekat44]

16. And how many bases do we have around the world? nt

[Blue_Tires]

17. Dumb question, but where is the money coming from for new bases?

Last I checked, the average Russian soldier was way overpaid and under-equipped...

[Purveyor]

21. I think Russia's balance sheet is mostly tidy. I do know they aren't multi-trillions

in debt to other foreign entities/foes, i.e. China. as is the USA.

[penultimate]

18. This is troubling, but not so much because Russia is a threat

but rather because it will just be used as a reason to pump more money into the military. It seems like there is some major consideration going into scaling down our military a little bit, but something like this could easily be used as proof to why we should expand and not contract.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

19. Now, that's a Bogeyman the MIC can make some REAL money on!