A Soviet military presence in Cuba today -- unlike in 1962 -- would have very little impact, other than the symbolic. Existing Russian missile submarines, even standing outside US territorial waters, could launch an assault on Washington, DC, that would give only 5 minutes' warning using missiles on "depressed" trajectories. I repeat: that can be done right now, this minute -- and the Russians have had that capability for years. Cuba would be a land-based equivalent of the same thing. Actually launching an assault from Cuba would only result in turning Cuba into an island of radioactive glass. Furthermore, US relationships with the "stans" in South Asia, to say nothing of Poland and the other new NATO states, gives the US an at-least-equivalent capability. Except for the symbolism and propaganda value, it would be, as it is now, a stand-off. JIM

With a hurricane obscuring satellite surveillance of Cuba, there are unconfirmed intel reports of Russian ships and submarines unloading men and materiel under the guise of a humanitarian effort. Once the clouds clear, we're liable to see (or not see) a Russian base 90 miles from the US. Then what? And what will the US do if Hugo Chavez gives the Russians a naval base in Venezuela? We're headed to war, folks. Better get used to it. One little misstep from our inept leaders and we're in the soup.

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Unofrtunately, Russia has the same and even GREATER appetite than it had in the times of the former Soviet Union.
Soviet Union has never died for Russian genocidal government.
Putin always says "The collapse of Soviet Union is the biggest tragedy of the past century".
Russia has the appetite to conquer and to destroy all kind of democracy, peace and develpment PLUS to steal all energetic resources it can.

All these anti-Americans idiots who are pleased to see Russia brutality will soon regret their ignorance.
China or Russia at the head of the world would be MILLION times more "imperialistic" than USA.
They would simply crush us like cockroaches.
\What do you think ? Putin respects Latin America or Chavez or the so-called Socialism of XXI century ??
So Naive you are !
Putin and also China HATES everything foreigners.
They just need temporarely allies, but they would crush all us....
United States is FAR from be perfect, ok, very far, but thank God they still are the world superpower and not Russia nor China, coz we will be all dead by now....

CESSless moron,

History shows gangster nazi neocons only understands raw power. You can't back down to the CIA, um, us governmet. americans are basically brainwashed automttaons and they DO trust their government NOMATTER HOW CRIMINAL.

Nope, if US NAZIS EMPIRE continues on this road the whole globe will unite against teach them the lesson they would not forget. the empire is a house of cards ready to fall apart.

CESSless moron,

History shows gangster nazi neocons only understands raw power. You can't back down to the CIA, um, us governmet. americans are basically brainwashed automttaons and they DO trust their government NOMATTER HOW CRIMINAL.

Nope, if US NAZIS EMPIRE continues on this road the whole globe will unite against teach them the lesson they would not forget. the empire is a house of cards ready to fall apart.

All of the little cold warriors are waking up. They miss the bad... I mean good ole days when they had an evil empire to rant against.

The neo-conservative-imperialists that have been running US foreign policy for the last eight years have decided that the US will be the new ROME. Don't believe this? Then you're ignorant. Read their own documents.

When you run foreign policy assuming you are all powerful and that everyone will bend to your will... well eventualy your empire crumbles. Fundamentally they are un-American anti-democratic kleptocrats surrounded by brain dead sycophants ranting on talk radio. Enough.. Shut up and crawl back into your caves.!!!

History shows Russia only understands raw power. You can't back down to the KGB, um, FSB. Russian people are swell and don't trust thier government. Nope, if Russia envades a democratically elected government all resources need to be utilized to punish them.

Att: Senoir, Carlos Alberto Montaner :

Usted Mooch'o inteligente!

Amable, Simpatico Se!

RussO on the Rise Again! Look-Out Gringo's!

@Jim Foster,

An excellent point. I suspect it has a great deal to do with apathy and a fear of going one-on-one with Russia. The problem isn't how to win another cold-war, it is how to avoid one. For Europe's part though, it has more to do with greed. Total, BP as well as Shell all have substantial interests in Russian petrolium. Other European's fear that the supply from Russia may be cut off - as Russia did on the 1 January 2006. And one mustn't overlook Gerhart Schroeder, the former chancellor of Germany, who is now on the board of Gazprom.

David Miliband, the British Foreign Minister, in his letter to the The Times however correctly reminds Europe that collectively they have more leverage. The pipelines from Russia flow one way - to the west - and that means Russia has one customer. Europe has many suppliers. In other words, European perceptions are flawed, it is the West, not Russia, that holds all the cards.

Whether Europe will grasp this with courage or reject it with cowardice is to be seen.

Shouldn't we have paid more attention to the early signs of Russian retraction into a cold war mentality. Journalists were killed, newspapers taken over and controled, leaders of adjacent countries die mysteriously, and one, by one, Russia takes over energy supplys and supply routes for oil and gas; often through forceable government appropriation.

None of this went unreported, but there has been little consolidated perspective on the larger threat until now. I think the warning signs were clear.

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Putin for President,and wait till China joins the party.Good Idea.? Well better than these megalomaniacs.What were these people smoking

Sr. Montaner

Do not forget Corea/ Ecuador, Evo / Boliva, y El Veterano Ortega de Nicaragua.

With the FARC reeling, and US backed Columbia surging forward Putin can hardly afford to refuse Chavez’s invitation. You can be sure the three Presidentes mentioned above will join the Castro brothers and Chavez in the welcoming committee.

What did you expect the Russians to do.?They have done the right thing "wake us up".Thank you Russia.Maybe these war mongerers will wake up now.It was obvious that the Venezuelans were going to open up,and not just them.Its Correa its Evo andParaguay,Nicaragua,Argentina Its every body.Enough its enough for us.Thank you WORLD.

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"but Russia today does not give signs of having the same imperialist appetite it had at that time."

Are you kidding me???

The Sovit Union collapsed because they were stupid enough to get involved in Afganistan. Their unilateral actions drove them to bankruptcy. I doubt that they will ever make that mistake again. Now that the tables are turned and we are spending 12 Billion a month, plus 700 Billion for oil, housing mkt,ifrastucture,SS, Medicare, Medicade, on and on, while they are getting richer, even Ray Charles can see where this is going.

It's interesting that the further west you are in Europe the more likely you are to accommodate Russian aggression. :) In Europe it's where you are located that determines your policy it appears.

I believe all of the mentioned responses are viable but will clearly escalate the conflict.