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To be added or removed from this list, please FReepmail me!!! Also ping to Stjacques for your Latin American Left Watch list
Posted on 12/16/2006 12:36:01 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
In his first major policy initiative since assuming power, Gen. Raúl Castro signed a far-reaching military-aid agreement with Russia. In September, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov, visited Cuba and signed an economic-aid pact providing Castro with $350 million in credits to upgrade Cuba's armed forces, including the acquisition of Russian transportation equipment, air-navigation systems, industrial goods for the energy sector and financing of future Russian investments in Cuba, among other projects. Fradkov met with Raúl Castro in a climate described as ''cordial and friendly'' by the Cuban press.
This accord with the Russians rounds out Cuba's international alliances with key strategic countries. They include Venezuela, China and Iran. Whether the Russian deal was in the making prior to Fidel Castro's surgery or developed as a more recent initiative, it reaffirms Raúl's long-standing admiration and support for Soviet policies in the past and for Russian policies in the present.
Consolidating power
As a young man, Raúl traveled behind the iron curtain and became a member of Cuba's Communist Party. Throughout the duration of the Soviet-Cuban relationship (1960-1990), Fidel and Raúl remained steadfast friends and supporters of Soviet policies, particularly in Africa, where several hundred thousand Cuban soldiers aided in bringing pro-Soviet and pro-Cuban regimes to power in the African continent. Raúl seems fascinated by the Soviet military and displays photos and statues of Soviet generals in his office.
It was only natural then that Raúl would turn to his old allies and friends for support as he consolidates power in Cuba. The Russians can provide his military dictatorship, in addition to weapons, with credits to purchase other Russian products. If the relationship with Venezuela were to sour or Venezuela decreases its oil shipments to Cuba, the Russians could step in and help. Much of Cuba's nonmilitary equipment is Russian made and requires upgrading and replacement. Finally, Russian international positions, influence in the U.N. Security Council and increasing defiance of U.S. policies, fit Raúl's world view and interests.
What can the Russians expect from a renewed relationship with Cuba? For starters the Russians haven't given up on what they claim is Cuba's debt from the Soviet era, approximately $20 billion. In 1991 I participated in a conference on Cuban-Russian relations in Moscow, and the Russian side, both academic and government officials, insisted that the Cuban debt should be paid. My response then was that, even if Cuba had the means, it would not recognize or pay that debt. Castro would always claim that Cuba's sacrifices in support of Soviet policies throughout the world far surpassed Russian economic help to Cuba. The debt seems to have been off the official agenda during Frandkov's visit.
Challenge to U.S. interests
The Russians also may be interested in resuming and expanding Cold War era espionage cooperation. The Soviet Union built the Lourdes electronic eavesdropping facility near Havana and used it to spy on U.S. military and technological secrets. It was closed by the Soviets following U.S. pressure in the 1990s, but could be recreated. The Chinese have established a similar facility in Bejucal, Cuba, and the Russians may look with envious eyes at the Chinese capacity to tap into U.S. military and civilian technology. Cooperation between the KGB and Stasi-trained Cuban espionage services, one of the best in the world, could resume, if it ever stopped, with the Cubans providing special help to the Russians.
It is yet too early to tell how far Cuban-Russian cooperation will advance or if it will represent a challenge to U.S. interests and security. Yet the new military-aid agreement and the new spirit of Russian-Cuban cooperation may indicate a continuous Cuban militancy and opposition to U.S. policies and a willingness to restart a relationship with an old, albeit much weaker and somewhat different, ally.
This time Cuba will be able to pay cash when they drill the Gulf oil Americans won't.
unreal... I cant believe we are letting this happen.
Do not miss the story about how Peter Paul and friends ripped off Fidel for 8.7 mil in the Cuban Coffee Caper ---
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1422368/posts
I am taking a perverse pleasure in watching the darling of the left piss off the Greens by drilling off the coast of Florida. I hope he comes up with about 10 billion barrels of oil. It would be fitting if he sold it to us at $75 a barrel.
We're such idiots sometimes.
Putin is reconstituting the Soviet Union, including helping its surviving allies, and undermining our interests wherever possible.
I keep telling you: never, never, never trust the Russians.
I heard that Cuba has an advanced order of Rifles from that factory that Chavez is building.
To be added or removed from this list, please FReepmail me!!! Also ping to Stjacques for your Latin American Left Watch list
"Communism has only killed 100 million people. Putin wants to give it another chance!!!"
And I heard that Russia is opening another spying facility on Cuba, possibly the old Lourdes site.
It's inexcusable Castro's brutal communist dictatorship still exists, some 90 miles off of Key West.
Even by old USSR standards, Putin is arming new communist and anti-Western Islamic tyrants the old Kremlin crowd did not have access too, as with Iran.
In terms of Cuba, Premier Putin is cognizant Castro may be on his last Red leg, this he is making sure Russian missiles will be pointing at our southern flank.
The solution to numerous global problem which Putin is arming is remove Putin's expanding, totalitarian, KGB controlled, neo-Soviet régime, but that is like asking Western leaders to take action prior to the unthinkable. Forgetaboutit....
Putin is quickly turning the clock back.
The Russians also may be interested in resuming and expanding Cold War era espionage cooperation. The Soviet Union built the Lourdes electronic eavesdropping facility near Havana and used it to spy on U.S. military and technological secrets. It was closed by the Soviets following U.S. pressure in the 1990s, but could be recreated. ==
Accually it was closed by Russia latter then in 1990th. Th eresons was that the today communications go through the wire connections and syphered. So no need to eardropping the american cell phoners.
The group of six Democrats and four Republicans, led by William Delahunt, D-Massachusetts and Jeff Flake, R-Arizona is intent on easing some of those economic sanctions.
Delahunt told Bloomberg News that the Congress will make small changes next year by passing legislation easing both restrictions on family travel and financial transfers to Cuba.
"I don't think the embargo will change in 2007, but the Bush administration may pre-empt Congress and approve these other changes before we can,'' Bloomberg reported that Delahunt said. Earlier this month Raul proposed talks with the U.S. to end the trade embargo, but that offer was rejected by the U.S. State Department.
Thanks for the ping, have you ever looked at this search?
http://www.google.com/search?q=China+has+stations+bases+in+Cuba&client=netscape-pp&rls=com.netscape:en-US
Anyone who has seen a hockey rink knows that it is easy to put one in and take it down...
I wonder what ever happened with those illegal SS-20s in Cuba.
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