Chavez Goes Weapons Shopping in Russia as Latin America Arms Race Quickens

[Purveyor]

Source: Bloomberg

July 21 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez heads to Moscow today to shop for air defense systems, submarines and other weaponry as Latin America's arms race quickens amid signs that his regional influence is waning.

Past Venezuelan arms purchases from Russia have strengthened ties with Moscow as its rivalry with the U.S. intensifies over President George W. Bush's plans for an Eastern Europe missile defense system and other issues. Chavez, 53, also plans to visit Belarus, a Russian ally that the U.S. considers a dictatorship.

Chavez ``regularly refers to us as an `empire,' opposes our initiatives in the Americas and seeks out our adversaries as friends and allies,'' Assistant U.S. Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Thomas Shannon said July 17 in testimony to a congressional committee.

Chavez will order $2 billion worth of weapons, including Project 636 diesel subs, Mi-28 combat helicopters and airplanes made by Ilyushin Co., the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported May 12, without saying how it obtained the information. The Russian Interfax news service, citing an unnamed defense ministry official, said today Chavez may order $1 billion of weapons, including three Varshavyanka subs and up to 20 Tor-M1 air-defense systems.

`Some Shock'

``What Chavez likes to do is to shock, and this will create some shock in Washington,'' said Riordan Roett, a professor of Latin American studies at Johns Hopkins University.



Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601109&sid=aLF7tPXrBVYE&refer=exclusive

[Regret My New Name]

1. Chavez, 53, also plans to....

"Chavez, 53, also plans to...." The mentioning of his age seems out of place in this article...

[daggahead]

3. Right ... like that has anything to do with the weapons ...

... They forgot to state his weight, height, reach, etc.

[sourmilk]

2. Given proclivity of Columbia to attack across international borders...

...current open US hostility towards Chavez and the fifth column operating within his own nation, it's pretty understandable that he is beefing up his armed forces (especially air defenses) about now...

[Peace Patriot]

6. Yeah, but they promised not to do it again--Scout's honor! nt

[wvbygod]

4. It's for the children

They will need lots of defense to help promote their peaceful takeover of business.

[Regret My New Name]

9. Oh yes, because surface to air missiles are very effective for that sort of thing...

[Ken Burch]

5. Uh...why SHOULDN'T he refer to us as "an empire"?

And can anybody really blame the guy for wanting protection from us?

All our leaders have ever brought to Latin America is buckets of blood.

[Regret My New Name]

8. but is it really the best way to defend against US interference?

If it came down to an actual shooting war, how much of those "toys" would end up useless burning messes? Don't get me wrong, I understand why countries require weapons and whatnot. I just wonder if in Venezuelan case they would be better off putting funding toward more creative ways of winning good will. Such as they are already doing with offering oil to various places.... Ehn, I dunno though.

[EFerrari]

14. They already are. Remember the heating oil back east and lately

the Citco lightbulb giveaway. And they have an office in DC puts out a peaceful message of progress. The Venezuelan government is full of very smart people. They'd never rely on only one means to an end.

[Arctic Dave]

16. It would most likely not be a toe to toe with us

but through a surrogate. So the weapons would be suitable for that.

[Ken Burch]

18. Yeah, the free oil thing is good. But they do have to protect themselves.

Salvador Allende had no loyal armed backing. Neither did Jacobo Arbenz in Guatemala in '54. That's why the fascist coups against them succeeded. Everybody on the left in Latin America learned from those experiences.

[David__77]

19. Venezuela would do better than Iraq did, that's for sure.

I think that Venezuela isn't just arming against the threat of US subversion, but also against Colombia, etc.

I think that the purchase of hundreds of thousands of automatic rifles would be more worthwhile, however. Venezuela should prepare for an insurgency-based irregular warfare if it wants to be prepared against invasion. Apart from that, long-range missiles would be useful.

[Hydra]

7. Poor guy

I wouldn't want to be next on the list after Iran...he can't buy enough weapons to keep us out.

[Peace Patriot]

10. The Bushites reconstitute the 4th Fleet off Venezuelan waters, and there is "shock" in Washington?

Har-har. This article is a crock of shock.

Interesting developments in South America. Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, is visiting Colombia's Uribe this week, to try to wean him from being a U.S. chump and get him on board for the common defense that Brazil recently proposed at the formation meeting of South America's "Common Market"-UNASUR. (Neither their "Common Market" nor the common defense includes the U.S.)

The Bushites' war plan in South America seems to be to support fascist secessionist groups in the oil-rich provinces of Venezuela, Ecuador and Bolivia, and create fascist mini-states in control of the oil, split off from the elected, leftist, national governments (which, of course, means Bushite funding, organizing civil wars). There is evidence of this scheme in the oil rich state of Zulia, in Venezuela, off the Caribbean coast (where the 4th Fleet is mustering), also adjacent to Colombia. The scheme is in-progress in Bolivia. And the president of Ecuador said there have been fascist meetings about it in his country, and has expressed great concern about this 3-country Bushite plot.

It's no wonder Venezuela is in the market for armaments. I wish it weren't so. We, the people, have no beef with Venezuela. It is a democratic country--a good democratic country--with a government that cares a lot more for its people than ours does. They have transparent election systems; we don't. All this slander of Chavez is about Exxon Mobil's lust for Venezuela's oil, nothing more. The same with Ecuador and Bolivia--democratic countries with governments that also believe in using oil profits to benefit the poor.

That is their crime. And it is OUR crime--or our government's crime--that they have to worry about defending themselves. South America has no other enemies. Just the U.S. and our global corporate predator rulers.

[RethugAssKicker]

11. If I was Chavez, I'd be arming Venezuela too!...

We have been threatening them for quite some time now..

[Tempest]

12. Why would this be a shock to Washington?

"What Chavez likes to do is to shock, and this will create some shock in Washington," said Riordan Roett

Venezuela has been purchasing weapons from Russia for several years now.

[NickB79]

13. After we invaded Iraq for their oil, I'd be stocking up on weapons too

If I had a major oil reserve in my backyard.

[EFerrari]

15. We sent about 600 ground troops into Colombia ahead of the hostage

rescue, per an article I read in the Latin America forum. Who knows if they ever left or how many of them are still there and who else might be there wearing our uniform.

Chavez has a lot of good reasons to be concerned.

[tchunter]

17. as someone pointed out earlier...

unless chavez has already constructed hardened hangars and communication lines then they will be reduced to smoldering piles of money in any conflict with the US. If he really wanted to "shock" washington. he'd buy some TU-160 blackjacks, VA-111 squalls for the submarines and Igla manpads coupled with extensive training in irregular warfare.

but all this spending on a war that isn't going to happen is pointless. Bush only has a couple more months in office and McBane doesn't stand a chance in the actual election.

[Vidar]

20. What arms race? He's simply buying weapons to defend himself

against the world's number 1 aggressor--the US--or its surrogates.