Perhaps we should have been paying closer attention to all of Latin America over the past decades. Hard to do when there were so many banana republics that we supported for gringo business purposes. Nicaragua and Chile elected socialists. A siren call to those with nothing. It takes a strongman to rule down there.
Putin should send a few warships to Cuba. Maybe the “Peter the Great” Armed with new hypersonic rockets. A good will mission. Maybe set up a naval base. Russians sailors might like a visit to the Copa.