AMAC Exclusive – By Daniel Roman
One of the analogies frequently employed to explain Russia’s “strategic concerns” about NATO expansion in Eastern Europe has been to compare Ukraine joining NATO to the prospect of Mexico joining the Warsaw Pact during the height of the Cold War. It is noted, correctly, that the U.S. would not have tolerated such a development, either under the Monroe Doctrine or as a matter of pure self-defense. The Kennedy administration considered the presence of Russian missiles in Cuba sufficiently provocative to risk starting World War III to demand their removal. It is thus puzzling why President Biden, faced with Russian “security” demands in Ukraine, has not countered with demands of his own for the Russians to cease interference in the Western Hemisphere – namely, terminating Russia’s military support of and presence in hostile, anti-American, expansionist regimes in Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.
In just the last week, as Russia has been insisting that even the prospect of Ukraine joining NATO could lead to war between America and Russia, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov embarked on a tour of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela in what the official news agency, TASS, described as a bid for “improving mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation.” When it came to Venezuela, however, the topic shifted quickly to military cooperation. “Russia is fully supported by Venezuela in the face of the threats from NATO and the Western world,” stated the Russian-sounding Venezuelan Defense Minister, Vladimir Padrino after the meeting. Borisov called Venezuela “a strategic partner for Russia in Latin America” while Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro announced that “We are going to increase all the preparation, training and cooperation plans with a military power in the world such as Russia.”
Coming a month after the Russian government would neither confirm nor deny that Moscow could send military assets to Cuba or Venezuela, it is clear that Moscow’s relationship with those powers is precisely what it alleges Kiev’s is with Washington. Namely, the Russians are openly using them to try to threaten and exert pressure on the United States.
It was normal in the Cold War for each side to maintain “pressure points” on the others. This allowed for retaliation without immediately escalating to full-scale conflict. The Soviet Union maintained the ability to march into Berlin if the U.S. invaded Cuba, and vice versa. What is shocking is that even though the Russians seem to remember this tactic and are in the process of implementing it, Washington seems indifferent. While the Biden administration has wisely held off reviving the Obama administration’s efforts to normalize ties with a Cuban government which displays no desire for either friendly relations with the United States or ceasing the oppression of the Cuban people, Biden has not made an issue of Cuba’s clearly hostile moves against the United States itself. While it may well be true that the direct military options that would be available to the Biden administration to respond to a Russian invasion of Ukraine are limited, it would be much easier for the United States to exert pressure on Cuba or Venezuela, and almost impossible for Russia to interfere.
Venezuela would be highly vulnerable to a naval blockade of Caracas. Not only is the Maduro regime dependent on oil exports for its only source of hard currency, but, unable to trust its own military, the regime relies heavily on Cuban military forces, Russian mercenaries, and even Hezbollah fighters. Merely imposing a naval blockade might well trigger the collapse of the regime, and while it would be a provocative move in peacetime, Venezuela has by its own words aligned itself militarily with whatever actions Russia takes in Ukraine. It would be justified to take Maduro at his word when he says, “We have walked the 21st century together, the people, the government of Russia and Venezuela.”
Even the threat of retaliation against Russia’s puppets in the Americas would greatly increase the options available to the Biden administration. If a negotiated solution is to be reached, placing the survival of the regimes in Havana and Caracas in doubt may make Russia more conciliatory. If the U.S. were to threaten an invasion of Cuba or Venezuela, and then not do so, the Kremlin might feel pressure to balance that act of goodwill with gestures of its own. In this way, even the appearance that the U.S. is refraining from launching invasions it never intended to undertake might allow Putin to claim a domestic win to justify abandoning an invasion of the Ukraine. Putin is too invested at the moment to cave under Western pressure without some way to save face with the Russian people and claim some sort of victory.
The Biden administration faces difficult challenges. Every administration does. But there are options available, and it is past time they considered steps to hit Russian interests in the Western Hemisphere where such moves will cost little, yield much, and potentially act as a warning to China regarding expansion into America’s backyard.
Daniel Roman is the pen name of a frequent commentator and lecturer on foreign policy and political affairs, both nationally and internationally. He holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the London School of Economics.
Lest we forget China, is also financially invested in Venezuela, Chile, Argentina & not to forget Cuba itself with the CCP of China military training the Cuban Marxist military in the art of controlling violent resisters from within, China wrote the book on this…With this administration after seeing what they did in Afghanistan, leaves me with ZERO confidence in how they approach worldwide conflicts with Communist China a constant presence in all of it…
In actuality, there is far more at stake here than a border dispute between Russia & Ukraine…
All of the above mentioned countries & many more know full well America has never been more vulnerable than she is right this moment, especially in light of our WIDE OPEN southern border, open to one & all from around the world on a 24/7 basis & a tyrannical takeover of a US gov’t, i.e. all ( 3 ) branches making it so by design & as a direct result of a rigged presidential election…
We now know with NO doubt whatsoever our immediate neighbor to the north, i.e. Canada, under the stewardship of a tyrannical leader, one Justin Trudeau is also in cahoots with the CCP of China…
It is also a fact our immediate neighbor to the south, i.e. Mexico is facilitating the caravan movements of illegal immigrants to our southern border…
This story tells the story of Russia in it’s current context, but China plays every bit a large part of the overall strategy playing itself out around the globe, both here at home in particular & 90 miles south of Florida, for their hands are in everything now on a global scale…
As far as Russia & Ukraine are concerned, it is a ” Wag The Dog ” situation for Biden to take our eyes off the havoc he has created throughout our nation with the phony EMERGENCY MANDATES.
Bill… :~)
If Russia can do this, then we should ring Cuba with ships and act the same way.
All the communist countries are closely watching the weak and pathetic BIDEN administration. This administration is the biggest threat to our country than any adversary, Actually there interwoven with the CCP, or so it seems. Actually believe that after all the corruption and verified information on hunter Biden’s laptop we now know how compromised our POTUS actually is. Would and guaranteed did sell out our country to our most dangerous adversaries and let’s not forget about the UKRAINE diplomatic underhanded deals that transpired with good old joe as VP of our country. Let’s see his record so far, immediately made us dependent on our enemies for oil and critical energy sources when we were the biggest producer in the world? Made a strategic decision to hastily abandon Afghanistan and left behind who knows how many American citizens there, not to mention the needless killings of hundreds of Afghanistan citizens and 13 of our proud and honorable military personnel. Lied constantly about everything especially the Covid pandemic and crippling mandates that literally destroyed thousands of businesses and cost trillions of dollars. And by the way just yesterday sneakily extended the Covid mandates and restrictions to keep this Marxist narrative in place. Has been aushering in crushing business restrictions to cripple capitalism and usher in government run everything. This is the worst president we’ve ever had and actually makes jimmy carter look somewhat good. Foreign policy affairs with extremely dangerous and powerful communist countries right now? WW3 is a slight possibility but anything is possible with this disaster we have running our country. And they desperately need a diversion try to right the sinking administration ruining our country right now . And I could keep going and going with this fraud of a president ruining our country.
My real take on Ukrainian is that under Biden we have become Super scared to make a decision. Almost whimsy! Before we didn’t take any Sh**!
I was not aware of this card that we could play involving Cuba and Venezuela to sway Russia from invading Ukraine. We have not been hearing much of this option in the news. However, I am not surprised. Is Biden just ignorant of this hand he could play or is he choosing to ignore it for alternative reasons?
Paradoxical that Dems claimed Trump would surely get us into another war but he did not and here we are on the verge of one under Biden.
Biden is in the cartel pockets thus No action
Ole Joe isn’t interested in solving the crisis in Europe. It’s more likely an intentional play on his part to distract America from the China threat of taking Taiwan. Once Russia begins to invade Ukraine, and we’re occupied with that, China will slip in and invade Taiwan, and maybe even Hong Kong. There has to be a reason that Russia and China became so friendly since January of 2021! The fact that there’s a wimp in the White House, and both of those countries want more than they already have tells you that they are playing Ole Joe like the puppet he is. When Russia moves, just wait a short while, and then watch China make it’s move. And Ole Joe will be like a one legged man at an ass kicking contest.
Bidden is aware of this option. That is not his game. His game is the same as Trudeau. He is part of the New World Order (NWO). That is who is orchestrating events world wide. Notice the extreme similarity of the roll out? Bidden isn’t dumb. The NWO has been going in place since the early 1900’s. Kennedy tried to stop it and his brother Robert was going to stop it. Trump was going to stop it and they killed his ability to do anything but nominal actions and now have him almost silenced. Bidden’s handlers aren’t stupid. They are doing these actions to set us up to be consumed by the NWO and the slaughter of the masses will begin. Anyone who thinks the word freedom will be probably shot on the spot since there will be no one to object nor take any action against it. Look at how easily they got us to close down businesses and cower into our homes!
I seriously hope that Nancy Pelosi doesn’t have a moment of peace for the remainder of her stinkin’ life. This entire stupid mess wouldn’t have started .if not for her unmitigated hatred for Donald Trump. That kind of insane hatred made her encourage financial and treasonous help from offshore to steal the 2020 election. Hope you’re happy, Nancy in your walled and gated compound. CCP is not the friend you think they are, you ignorant bioltch.
Biden is going to choose the option that puts money in his pocket no matter the consequences it has on anyone or any country. So whatever decisions being made will be decided by the money flow, nothing else.
Biden is clearly not on the America side he is working for& Russa China .
Putin is playing Senile Joe like a cheap fiddle!
The second Biden’s “victory” to the White House was revealed we all knew that we, our country, was in for a dismal future. Biden has not been able to demonstrate adulthood yet, in any matters (from simple walking to duties of Commander in Chief).
Has anyone ever thought that he will ever be able to function, ever, as the “Leader of the Free World”?
Biden was “elected” POTUS…do not ever even think that it cannot get worse.
Don’t bother looking for options for the fraud puppet traitor, he has ginned up the whole ‘Russa’s going to invade Ukraine’ big fat lie…he and Commie Globalist elitist’s running the ‘destroy the Republic’ are jonesin’ to get their totalitarian tyranny hell for us, and the “utopia” the traitors desire. Floating the lie, with corrupt MSM propaganda spewing traitors all on board…part of the GREAT RESET…destroy America to ‘Build Back Better’ (a Marxist slogan plagerized by dolt ChiiComKickbackTraitorJoe).
Stolen election’s have dire consequences, our Constitutional Republic’s hanging by a thread…only took the fraud traitors about a year!
and we’d have another million people invading the US through the southern border…
Biden is not on a roll to solve anything but to create as much mayhem as possible to enable the “great reset” once the planet is in ruins.
Biden’s protecting his & Hunter’s investment in Ukraine…personally, I think instead of sending any American troops we should send Hunter….
In Biden’s 50 year political career, he has never done anything but “blunder & plunder”. He’s not capable of doing anything else! I just shake my head when I think about how ‘voters in Delaware’ could possibly be so extremely “UNAWARE” of Biden’s ‘nonexistent accomplishments’ in serving the residents of Delaware for ….
5 continual DECADES ! ????????
Once again it all comes down to Hunter and Joe protecting their $30 million business dealings with Ukraine.
Biden doesn’t want to solve the ukraine crisis. He WANTS Russia to invade so he (actually those telling him what to do and say) will have a distraction from the abject failure of his administration.
Biden won’t do anything against Russia or China. He sold us out to both of them through Hunter, they didn’t give him all that money for nothing. The DOJ announced that they are not doing anything to China for spying or anything else.
The Obama Administration, I mean, the Biden Administration, is too busy distributing crack pipes, promoting critical race theory, gender modification, gay/lesbian rights, anti-Christian and anti-American propaganda…………..well, you get the message. They are simply too busy to be bothered with something so trivial as Russia invading Ukraine.
The Obiden administration thinks this will distract Americans from the failures this administration has implemented on us . Cuba had the chance to be free from communism, but he ignored them too, just like he’s ignoring more than 1/2 the country. No country will back us because of the Afghanistan debacle. Oh . . . and obviously there’s not a “crisis” at our own Southern boarder. What a cluster ____ .
Ukraine is not a democracy, and we have zero geopolitical, national, or military interest there.
It did not take long for biden to issue an E.O. that restricts any entangling alliances with the Russian areas of Ukraine to the executive branch.
“The Option Biden Isn’t Considering That Could Solve the Ukraine Crisis” admit the 2020 election was rigged and resign. bozo the clown would be an improvement over biden.
The USA has imported 232,000,000 barrels of oil from Russia SINCE Buck Fiden in his delusional lack of cognitive abilities was introduced by the Satanic news media as POTUS. Imagine that– the WORLD’S largest exporter of oil, a year ago, filling Putin’s coffers. How can people be so stupid, as to support Biden? Who is the dumb one? Apparently not the Depends filling fool that ASSumes he has ALL under control!
The point that keeps being glossed over is that the Progressive billionaires and Communist Chinese that are controlling the Biden administration do not want a solution to preventing war with Russia. They in fact, want the U.S. in a war.
Although expansion of NATO has been a thorn in Putin’s side, after the annexation of Crimea, the eastern Europe has always been severely concerned about Russia. Why would Russia ever need to worry about NATO, it is a feckless deterrent in military capabilities and has been destructive to America. We spend billions on NATO, but Europe spends modest amount out of their GDP. Matter of fact, the only countries spending on defense and on NATO contributions are the Eastern block countries that stand next to Russia. Russia is probably the second largest country on the planet. RUSSIA WOULD BE THE MOST RICHEST COUNTRY IF HAD A CAPITALIST SYSTEM, WHERE PEOPLE COULD INVEST AND OPENED UP ITS RICHES TO THE EAST. Unfortunately, Eastern Europe has always been target Putin, and we may not see the end of his expansion with Ukraine. HE WAS AND IS A FORMER KGB, THE RUTHLESS BRUTAL GOVERNMENT BEHIND THE COLD WAR, HE KNOWS HE HAS AN OPPORTUNITY WITH THE WEAK FECLESS BIDEN ADMINISTRATION. He has no fear of a rise in his own population, as he uses radiation poisoning to quash any revolt on his own people, HE IS A BRUTAL DICTATOR ! Does any one see the similarities with in the current dictatorships in Canada? Do You think that the DemoRATS want to rule in the same manner, and will do any thing to get to that end.? The biggest question is why are we spending billions to defend Ukraine borders and keeping ours wide open. If I were a Ukraine citizen, I would flee now to America, they never ever have to worry about deportation even if they are criminals there. Most of the Ukraine people are very hard working, unfortunately, they have the same two tier people as in Russia, very rich and very poor. and not much in middle class. The rich are like our Government in America, all ruling, stealing thieves just like the elite in Moscow and Kiev.
Lest we forget China, is also financially invested in Venezuela, Chile, Argentina & not to forget Cuba itself with the CCP of China military training the Cuban Marxist military in the art of controlling violent resisters from within, China wrote the book on this…With this administration after seeing what they did in Afghanistan, leaves me with ZERO confidence in how they approach worldwide conflicts with Communist China a constant presence in all of it…
In actuality, there is far more at stake here than a border dispute between Russia & Ukraine…
All of the above mentioned countries & many more know full well America has never been more vulnerable than she is right this moment, especially in light of our WIDE OPEN southern border, open to one & all from around the world on a 24/7 basis & a tyrannical takeover of a US gov’t, i.e. all ( 3 ) branches making it so by design & as a direct result of a rigged presidential election…
We now know with NO doubt whatsoever our immediate neighbor to the north, i.e. Canada, under the stewardship of a tyrannical leader, one Justin Trudeau is also in cahoots with the CCP of China…
It is also a fact our immediate neighbor to the south, i.e. Mexico is facilitating the caravan movements of illegal immigrants to our southern border…
This story tells the story of Russia in it’s current context, but China plays every bit a large part of the overall strategy playing itself out around the globe, both here at home in particular & 90 miles south of Florida, for their hands are in everything now on a global scale…
As far as Russia & Ukraine are concerned, it is a ” Wag The Dog ” situation for Biden to take our eyes off the havoc he has created throughout our nation with the phony EMERGENCY MANDATES.
Bill… :~)
If Russia can do this, then we should ring Cuba with ships and act the same way.
All the communist countries are closely watching the weak and pathetic BIDEN administration. This administration is the biggest threat to our country than any adversary, Actually there interwoven with the CCP, or so it seems. Actually believe that after all the corruption and verified information on hunter Biden’s laptop we now know how compromised our POTUS actually is. Would and guaranteed did sell out our country to our most dangerous adversaries and let’s not forget about the UKRAINE diplomatic underhanded deals that transpired with good old joe as VP of our country. Let’s see his record so far, immediately made us dependent on our enemies for oil and critical energy sources when we were the biggest producer in the world? Made a strategic decision to hastily abandon Afghanistan and left behind who knows how many American citizens there, not to mention the needless killings of hundreds of Afghanistan citizens and 13 of our proud and honorable military personnel. Lied constantly about everything especially the Covid pandemic and crippling mandates that literally destroyed thousands of businesses and cost trillions of dollars. And by the way just yesterday sneakily extended the Covid mandates and restrictions to keep this Marxist narrative in place. Has been aushering in crushing business restrictions to cripple capitalism and usher in government run everything. This is the worst president we’ve ever had and actually makes jimmy carter look somewhat good. Foreign policy affairs with extremely dangerous and powerful communist countries right now? WW3 is a slight possibility but anything is possible with this disaster we have running our country. And they desperately need a diversion try to right the sinking administration ruining our country right now . And I could keep going and going with this fraud of a president ruining our country.
My real take on Ukrainian is that under Biden we have become Super scared to make a decision. Almost whimsy! Before we didn’t take any Sh**!
I was not aware of this card that we could play involving Cuba and Venezuela to sway Russia from invading Ukraine. We have not been hearing much of this option in the news. However, I am not surprised. Is Biden just ignorant of this hand he could play or is he choosing to ignore it for alternative reasons?
Paradoxical that Dems claimed Trump would surely get us into another war but he did not and here we are on the verge of one under Biden.
Biden is in the cartel pockets thus No action
Ole Joe isn’t interested in solving the crisis in Europe. It’s more likely an intentional play on his part to distract America from the China threat of taking Taiwan. Once Russia begins to invade Ukraine, and we’re occupied with that, China will slip in and invade Taiwan, and maybe even Hong Kong. There has to be a reason that Russia and China became so friendly since January of 2021! The fact that there’s a wimp in the White House, and both of those countries want more than they already have tells you that they are playing Ole Joe like the puppet he is. When Russia moves, just wait a short while, and then watch China make it’s move. And Ole Joe will be like a one legged man at an ass kicking contest.
Bidden is aware of this option. That is not his game. His game is the same as Trudeau. He is part of the New World Order (NWO). That is who is orchestrating events world wide. Notice the extreme similarity of the roll out? Bidden isn’t dumb. The NWO has been going in place since the early 1900’s. Kennedy tried to stop it and his brother Robert was going to stop it. Trump was going to stop it and they killed his ability to do anything but nominal actions and now have him almost silenced. Bidden’s handlers aren’t stupid. They are doing these actions to set us up to be consumed by the NWO and the slaughter of the masses will begin. Anyone who thinks the word freedom will be probably shot on the spot since there will be no one to object nor take any action against it. Look at how easily they got us to close down businesses and cower into our homes!
I seriously hope that Nancy Pelosi doesn’t have a moment of peace for the remainder of her stinkin’ life. This entire stupid mess wouldn’t have started .if not for her unmitigated hatred for Donald Trump. That kind of insane hatred made her encourage financial and treasonous help from offshore to steal the 2020 election. Hope you’re happy, Nancy in your walled and gated compound. CCP is not the friend you think they are, you ignorant bioltch.
Biden is going to choose the option that puts money in his pocket no matter the consequences it has on anyone or any country. So whatever decisions being made will be decided by the money flow, nothing else.
Biden is clearly not on the America side he is working for& Russa China .
Putin is playing Senile Joe like a cheap fiddle!
The second Biden’s “victory” to the White House was revealed we all knew that we, our country, was in for a dismal future. Biden has not been able to demonstrate adulthood yet, in any matters (from simple walking to duties of Commander in Chief).
Has anyone ever thought that he will ever be able to function, ever, as the “Leader of the Free World”?
Biden was “elected” POTUS…do not ever even think that it cannot get worse.
Don’t bother looking for options for the fraud puppet traitor, he has ginned up the whole ‘Russa’s going to invade Ukraine’ big fat lie…he and Commie Globalist elitist’s running the ‘destroy the Republic’ are jonesin’ to get their totalitarian tyranny hell for us, and the “utopia” the traitors desire. Floating the lie, with corrupt MSM propaganda spewing traitors all on board…part of the GREAT RESET…destroy America to ‘Build Back Better’ (a Marxist slogan plagerized by dolt ChiiComKickbackTraitorJoe).
Stolen election’s have dire consequences, our Constitutional Republic’s hanging by a thread…only took the fraud traitors about a year!
and we’d have another million people invading the US through the southern border…
Biden is not on a roll to solve anything but to create as much mayhem as possible to enable the “great reset” once the planet is in ruins.
Biden’s protecting his & Hunter’s investment in Ukraine…personally, I think instead of sending any American troops we should send Hunter….