Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez
Alliances among America’s enemies have been accelerating at an unprecedented rate. Russia, Cuba and Venezuela have recently signed numerous economic and military agreements. Now, at the end of this month, the three nations are gathering once again for a series of historic meetings.
The timing of these summits is no coincidence. “Viewing the transfer of power between U.S. President George W. Bush and President-elect Barack Obama as a key transition period,” say Stratfor analysts, Russian President Medvedev’s “intent is to remind the incoming U.S. president that [Medvedev] too can play in another power’s near abroad.”
The same thinking motivates Raul Castro and Hugo Chavez as well – they need to “lay out the chessboard for the incoming U.S. President.”
Throughout both terms of the Bush administration, the three nations have positioned themselves as leaders of what they call a “pluri-polar”, or “post-American”, world. Yet the election of Barack Obama helped alter international perceptions about the United States virtually over night. The hoary old cartoonish image of America as the world’s self-appointed “cowboy cop” suddenly seems comical. Can even the most hostile America bashers easily conjure up a mental image of this particular president elect wearing a big Stetson hat and firing six-shooters?
Pulitzer Prize winning Miami Herald columnist Andres Oppenheimer recently offered some advice of his own for the president elect, based upon what he’s learned over many decades of covering the local “beat.” He wrote:
“Obama will not want to squander his party's growing inroads into the Cuban-American community, and the state's non-Cuban Latinos, by coming across as too close to Chávez, or the Castro brothers.”
Oppenheimer predicts that Barack Obama will lift restrictions on travel to Cuba, as he promised during his campaign.
“He may even shake hands with Chávez at the Summit of the Americas next April in Trinidad and Tobago. But that's as far as he's likely to go.”
It isn’t in the interest of these anti-American leaders to make concessions to the United States, adds Oppenheimer. “They need to keep their conflicts with the United States alive to maintain a climate of imminent danger that justifies their authoritarian rule. (...) Don't expect big changes on that front.”
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Comments
My only advice to Mr. Obama is to wash his nose thoroughly after a closed door butt snorkelling of Castro and Chavez, before he addresses the US press gallery....looks bad.....Obama media hit squads can sanitize the commie fecal matter that comes out of his mouth but they can't photo shop the commie fecal matter once it dries on his nose.
Hmm...I'd invade Cuba ( they'd be thankful),I'd attempt to reassure Putin..er..Medvedev and thaw relations a bit and, with oil prices dropping, I'd just give Chavez all the rope he needs to hang himself.
Chavez is screwed because he's running out of revenues.
Cuba has always been screwed.
And Russia is looking to screw everybody.
These dictators will just pretend to be in conflict with Obama. Kind of like the PM here in Canada, tries to distance thenselves with the POTUS. So they are not hailed as an American lover, by Socialist Europian Eastern Canada.Particularly Toronto & Montreal.
These guys have a lot in common with Obama's form of Neo-Marxism.
Russia wants its Empire back. Iran wants to rule the world for the pervert prophet , while Cuba is like Scotland in another age. Communist Mercenaries for hire.
Let continental Cubans deal with them. Never let a bear near food or even smell it or your in trouble with a phycotic animal. Let Iran & North Korea know your serious by letting Isreal bomb there nuke sites.
America is far from losing being the dominate power. Shoot they havent even reached the Empire phase yet. Frankly I would carry on the war while slowly,
& I mean slowly. Pull out while the populace takes over complete control.
Excellent article. Off topic but I howled for an hour over a post at your site about music only white people listen to anymore. Too Funny!!! (O:}
JMO
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Kathy, America's enemies know a weakling when they see one. Obama will be tested early and often to see if he has more cojones than Clinton (Bill, that is) had.
D.
Hey is that Cheech and Chong?
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