Russia and Venezuela will conduct joint naval exercises in Venezuela's territorial waters in November 2008.On Saturday, Venezuela's Rear Admiral Salbatore Cammarata Bastidas said four Russian ships and 1,000 Russian troops would take part in exercises in Venezuelan territorial waters from 10 to 14 November.
"This is of great importance because it is the first time it is being done (in the Americas)," he said in a statement quoted by the AFP news agency and local media.
President Chavez supported Russia's intervention in Georgia last month and has accused Washington of being scared of Moscow's "new world potential".
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Four Russian ships and 1,000 soldiers will participate in joint naval exercises with Venezuela adding to the strain in US-Russia relations.
The exercises, which will also involve Venezuelan aircraft and submarines, are scheduled for 10 to 14 November in the Caribbean Sea, Venezuela's Rear Admiral Salbatore Cammarata Bastidas said on Saturday. ...
The US has tenuous relations with Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, who has voiced approval for Russian involvement in the Caucuses, saying the US is intimidated by Moscow's “new world potential”.
Moscow and Caracas have a strategic alliance, initiated by President Chavez in July, which extends bilateral cooperation on energy, allowing three Russian energy companies to operate in Venezuela.
Russia to aid Iran's nuclear program in response to U.S. machinations in the Caucasus: here:
Russia is considering increasing its assistance to Iran’s nuclear programme in response to America’s calls for Nato expansion eastwards and the presence of US Navy vessels in the Black Sea delivering aid to Georgia. The Kremlin is discussing sending teams of Russian nuclear experts to Tehran and inviting Iranian nuclear scientists to Moscow for training, according to sources close to the Russian military. ...
“Everything has changed since the war in Georgia,” said one source. “What seemed impossible before, is more than possible now when our friends become our enemies and our enemies our friends. What are American ships doing off our coast? Do you see Russian warships off the coast of America? “Russia will respond. A number of possibilities are being considered, including hitting America there where it hurts most – Iran.” ...Last month Russia agreed to sell missiles to Syria. “The mood among the hawks is very bullish indeed,” said one source who did not rule out a resumption of Russian military action in Georgia to take the port of Batumi, where American vessels are delivering aid.
Hardliners were infuriated last week by the visit to Georgia of Dick Cheney, the American vice-president. “Georgia will be in our alliance,” Cheney said. He also visited Ukraine, whose Nato aspirations could make it the next flashpoint between Russia and America.
However in Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, events appeared to be moving Moscow’s way. Viktor Yushchenko, the pro-western president, is fighting to stay in power in a crisis that could see him impeached.
“I’m amused by claims in the West that Russia is the loser in this crisis,” said a former Putin aide. “What would Washington do if we were arming Cuba the way it armed Georgia? The postSoviet days when we could be pushed around are over.”
Iran, Latin America ending US dominance: here:
Immanuel Wallerstein, professor emeritus at Yale and director of the Fernand Braudel Center in New York, argues that the Bush administration's endless wars have exposed the limits of American power. US hegemony is coming to an irreversible end, revealing, Wallerstein says, "multiple poles of geopolitical power". He predicts that we are entering "a situation of structural crisis towards the construction of a new world system [with no hegemonic power]."In this new system, Iran and Latin America can play a decisive role in international politics. They own important energy resources, educated populations and the determination to remain independent. In this sense, cooperation between Latin America and Iran can bring to an end the era of US imperialistic policies and usher in a multi-polar world.
China's role: here:
On Saturday, Hu stressed the two sides had a "deep friendship," while Ahmadinejad spoke of "good cooperation in various fields like exchange of people and communication."
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