Cold War Copy Cat

Last November, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would begin initial talks with Peru and Nicaragua regarding technical and military cooperation. This week, Russian Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu began a three-day Latin America tour by first meeting with Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, a vocal anti-American leader and Russian ally. From there, Defense Minister Shoigu flew north to meet with his Nicaraguan counterpart.

It has been reported that the two nations have signed bilateral agreements regarding Russian involvement in the region. These agreements outline a partnership where the Nicaraguan army will receive Russian fighter jets in exchange for increased Russian access to the country. The Nicaraguan army claims that these MiG-29 aircraft will be used for combating narco-trafficking, something that the Colombian government does not believe.

The most worrying fact of this partnership is what Putin’s representative received in return. Russian war vessels will have, as stated by the media, “simplified port entry protocols” in Nicaraguan harbors.

Russians are known for being master chess players. This generalization is rings true for Putin, who is implementing a strategy to restore the former Soviet Union to what he believes is their rightful place as a global super power.

Putin is enjoying the opportunity presented by the conflict in Ukraine, as well as the peace treaty of Minsk, to distract from his plays in the Western Hemisphere. While the world’s focus has been on the Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine and the annexation of Crimea, the former KGB boss has been moving his most important pieces into place.

This round of chess resembles the Soviet Union’s push against NATO influence in eastern European affairs during the Cold War. Beyond the established ties that Russia has had with Cuba, China and Iran, he picked off where the Soviet Union left off: Latin America.

The Russian Federation realized that their influence could one day be weakened in Latin America following President Obama’s announcement to begin diplomatic talks with Cuba. In order to combat this perceived encroachment of economic influence, Putin’s government moved a Russian spy ship into a Havana harbor. The sole purpose of this move was to remind the United States, and Cuba, that Russia reigns supreme on the island.

Additionally, Soviet activities during the Cold War continue to influence not only the Cuban government, but also other Latin American countries. The Soviets set up the Cuban intelligence apparatus during the Cold War in the same model as that of the KGB; dedicated to manipulating the populous. This influence in turn has pressured other Latin American nations, such as Venezuela and Bolivia, to adopt similar styles of governance.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan knew that the strategic importance of Nicaragua lied in the fact that it was an essential connecting point of North and South America. The CIA even went as far as to covertly plant mines in the ports to prevent Russian warships from docking in Managua. In that Administrations’ eyes, losing Nicaragua to the Soviets would be unacceptable.

This only shows that Russian influence in Nicaragua was once seen as dangerous; however, now it is quietly and quickly brushed off. The international community has shown their inclination of short-term memory, evident by the obliviousness that Russian aggression is a direct cut out of the Cold War ideology.

Vladimir Putin has continued to show hints of his global ambition; sadly the Western world is only focused on his queen in Europe and not the pawns spread across the map.