Latin America Breaking News

Chileans have made history, voting to scrap Pinochet’s 1980 constitution.

https://twitter.com/BrasilWire/status/1320517891394048000

Peruvian interim president Manuel Merino has just resigned amid an acute political & social crisis.

Centre-right wing Morado Party member Francisco Sagasti is the new Peruvian president.

Argentina's Senate approves law over taxes on large wealth owners in order to cope with higher pandemic expenditures:
https://br.sputniknews.com/americas/2020120516561473-senado-argentino-sanciona-imposto-sobre-grandes-fortunas-para-cobrir-gastos-com-pandemia-da/

An oncologist himself, former Uruguayan President and leftist leader Tabaré Vázquez dies of lung cancer.

Chile: Sebastián Piñera, two times president thanks to the stupidity of voters. Who pays the bill (scapegoat)?
https://www.elclarin.cl/2020/12/10/pinera-dos-veces-presidente-gracias-a-la-estupidez-de-los-electores-quien-paga-el-pato/

https://thegrayzone.com/2021/02/15/us-oas-colombia-steal-ecuador-election/


Ben Norton@BenjaminNorton

18h
The US/OAS is overseeing two coups right now, in Ecuador and Haiti, at the same time.

Unfortunately most of the US "left" is silent, yet alone trying to organize actions to meaningfully challenge imperialism.

The Professional Media Left is too busy still heroizing Pope Bernie

Brazilian Supreme Court just invalidated the criminal convictions of ex-President Lula da Silva, restoring his political rights and rendering him eligible to run against Bolsonaro in 2022. He was leading all polls when convicted in 2018. Glenn Greenwald@ggreenwald

https://theintercept.com/2019/06/09/brazil-lula-operation-car-wash-sergio-moro/

Regime change in Cuba may put Russia in fierce competition for influence, expert says. 13.07.2021

There is a trio of countries - Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua - where Russia’s positions are really firm, and are in a way connected with the specifics of the government currently in office there, Russian International Affairs Council CEO Andrei Kortunov noted.

MOSCOW, July 13. /TASS/. A change of political regime in Cuba may threaten Russia’s current position in the republic and create conditions for a harsh competition between Moscow and the Western states, Russian International Affairs Council CEO Andrei Kortunov told TASS Tuesday.

The expert believes that the modern Russian foreign policy, unlike the Soviet one, is pragmatic and is not based on a strong ideological basis. The Soviet leadership "supported Cuba as its model Socialist project," while modern Moscow has no such ideological ambitions. Still, in recent years, Russia noticeably "emphasizes cooperation with left-wing Latin American countries and governments."

"In particular, there is a trio of countries - Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua - where Russia’s positions are really firm, and are in a way connected with the specifics of the government currently in office there," Kortunov noted. "Therefore, if any regime change or change of political priorities and so on takes place in Cuba, Russia, of course, will have to build its relations with this country differently."

According to the specialists, a rebuilding of the political system in Cuba may primarily harm bilateral projects, connected to major Russian companies, because, currently, Western competitors cannot ramp up their presence in Cuba only because of the sanctions.

"It is easy to imagine that a new Cuba will show more interest in working with the US, for example, and the European countries. And then Russia will face much stronger competition than it does today," Kortunov said.

Still, it is unlikely that the protests in Cuba will develop in this way, and the sustainability of the current regime "should not be underestimated."

"The protests are, of course, a serious business; this is, effectively, a new phenomenon in the island’s life, but it is too early to say that a regime change in Havana is unavoidable. There have been talks about it for the last 30 years, and all of them have been wrong," he added.

A qualitative change

According to the expert, the current protest agenda is primarily social and economic, a kind of a "march of the empty pots, which does not necessarily result in systemic shifts and regime changes."

"It is rather difficult to draw a line here," Kortunov said. "But many things will depend on the government’s ability to keep the situation under control, to respond to the economic demands, preserve its power base and prevent these protests from becoming a political movement, aimed against the social system of Cuba."

Kortunov noted that a harsh confrontational reaction of the Cuban leadership to the street protests may cause additional US sanctions.

"Attempts would be made to make these sanctions universal: to make the EU and other partners of the US support these sanctions," the expert noted. "Then Russia will have a rather difficult choice: either de-facto comply with these sanctions without recognizing them de-jure, or violate them and provide support to the Cuban leadership in significant volumes and different formats."

A Cuban rift

Should Moscow decide to commit a demarche, this may create a new "factor of irritation" between Russia and the US.

"But there are already many such factors. Venezuela, for example," he continued.

Meanwhile, in his opinion, the stronger Washington would pressure both countries with sanctions, the more stimuli they will gain to become closer to each other.

"Look how active the cooperation between Russia and China on the sanctions issue is. It is clear that, if Beijing were not under sanctions, it would have had far less desire to coordinate its policy with Moscow. But, since these sanctions also covered China, we see an increase in cooperation," Kortunov said. "Should there be stronger pressure on Cuba, then Havana will, of course, have objectively more interest in working with Moscow; Russia will try to expand the circle of opponents of unilateral sanctions. The more sanctions there are, the more stimuli there are of cooperation."

On July 11, Cuban state television reported that riots engulfed several Cuban cities, with several stores being destroyed. Earlier, mass manifestations broke out in the city of San Antonio de los Banos. President of Cuba Miguel Dias-Canel went there and urged the defenders of the Cuban Revolution to take to the streets in order to thwart provocations against the authorities.

https://tass.com/world/1313631

Cuba and Venezuela will have to work harder in cooperation. The two working together could be huge beneficial to each other and find more allies as well.

miketheterrible wrote:Cuba and Venezuela will have to work harder in cooperation. The two working together could be huge beneficial to each other and find more allies as well.

What can Cuba or Venezuela do if US sends warships to their shores , to block all trade with those countries and prohibit all nations of sending food , medicine and supplies?

You obviously speak from an ignorance point of view , that don't understand that the problems
those nations face , is that commit the tragic mistake , to trust that Russia was strong enough , to provide them protection from their anglo imperial system. Venezuela oil and gasoline was under sanctions and the only way ,they could continue running their nation if when Russia once in a while sends them humanitarian aid ,and oil to their countries , to lift the blockade.

This is why nobody respect Russia, is a extremely weak nation , that can't even properly defend any of its allies ,from misery . If Russia was not being run by idiots , they will stay the hell away of any country they are not prepared to defend and properly help in case is under attacked by US or Europe sanctions. If Russia keep its nose away from cuba and venezuela and also syria ,they will not be facing war ,under attack or under sanctions by the west and will be nations at peace and not living in the misery ,consequence of trusting that Russia was a reliable ally , they could count , in case they under siege by the west.

Venezuela should be looking to replace its Type 209 SSK with Project 636s maybe... and Cuba should be looking to do the same...

They should not be looking for Russia to fix their problems, but allow Russian products to solve their problems with the biggest bully on the planet.