Russia mocks Monroe Doctrine, plans military sales to Latin America
by Joel Gehrke | Feb 16, 2018, 5:13 PM
RE:
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/ru...rticle/2649346
Russia plans to continue building military relationships in Latin America despite a warning from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson that the U.S. would work to combat Russian and Chinese influence in the hemisphere.
"Military cooperation is a common form of interaction between countries,” Alexander Shchetinin, who directs the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Latin America bureau, told state-run media.
Tillerson denounced Chinese and Russian involvement in South America on the cusp of a recent trip to the region. He said that warning was in the tradition of the Monroe Doctrine, a foreign policy principle articulated in 1823 in which President James Monroe announced that the United States would not allow European powers to colonize the Western Hemisphere.
“Sometimes I think we have forgotten about the importance of the Monroe Doctrine and what it meant to this hemisphere and maintaining those shared values,” Tillerson said during a February 1 foreign policy discussion at the University of Texas in Austin. “So I think it’s as relevant today as it was the day it was written.”
Shchetinin confirmed “that Russia’s role in Latin America has been growing,” and predicted that Russia would continue military sales in the region. But he suggested that the United States should not be concerned.
"The main thing is that the development of such cooperation should not destroy the balance of power, raise tensions and fuel disputes between countries," he said. ”This is why we are open, our approaches are open, they are based on the relevant intergovernmental agreements, which refer to no secret agenda. We will boost this kind of cooperation with all countries who are ready for that.”
Tillerson sees those sales as a buttress for hostile or dictatorial regimes, such as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. “Russia’s growing presence in the region is alarming as well, as it continues to sell arms and military equipment to unfriendly regimes who do not share or respect democratic values,” he said. “Our region must be diligent to guard against faraway powers who do not reflect the fundamental values shared in this region.”
The former Exxon Mobil CEO argued that Latin American countries should be wary of “predatory” Chinese investment. “China’s offer always come at a price – usually in the form of state-led investments, carried out by imported Chinese labor, onerous loans, and unsustainable debt,” Tillerson said. “Latin America does not need new imperial powers that seek only to benefit their own people. China’s state-led model of development is reminiscent of the past. It doesn’t have to be this hemisphere’s future.”
Tillerson argued that partnership with the United States, at the economic and military level, would lead to greater freedom and stability. “We do not seek short-term deals with lopsided returns,” he said. “The U.S. approach is based on mutually beneficial goals to help both sides grow, develop and become more prosperous, and do so by respecting international law, prioritizing the interests of our partners, and protecting our values. With the United States, you have a multidimensional partner – one that benefits both sides with engagement to support economic growth, education, innovation, and security.”
Shchetinin dismissed those warnings, mocking them as an outdated reprisal of the Monroe Doctrine.
"Washington makes no secret that it believes the Monroe Doctrine to remain relevant,” he said during an interview with TASS. “The doctrine will soon turn 200, which is a very respectable age. In the past 200 years, the world has changed but it seems that the America for Americans principle still stands.”
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