Russia and China Playing in the Backyard

President-Elect Barack Obama faces a huge challenge from Russia and China when he enters office. This past week, for the first time since the end of the Cold War, Russian warships will be doing training exercises in the Caribbean as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's goes on a four-nation tour (Peru, Cuba, Brazil, Venezuela) through Latin America. Also, the week before the Russian President’s trip, the Chinese President Hu Jintao traveled to the region. These visits come in response from the U.S.’s skepticism with NAFTA and the Columbia free-trade pact as the two other major world powers are going to try to fill that vacuum left by the Americans.  Obama also plans to slowly open up trade with Cuba for the first time in almost half a century. What is even scarier about Russia’s visit is its partnership with Venezuela. The two countries will negotiate an arms and energy deal, and the Russians promise to help the Venezuelans build their first nuclear power plant. Putin and Medvedev are furious at U.S. intentions to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe and America’s support of NATO membership for former Soviet satellites and American objections against the Russian invasion of Georgia. President-Elect Obama should look to regain America’s sphere of influence before its too late. The dominos are being stacked way too close to home, as China and Russia look to have an extremely strong ties in our backyard. Also seen for the first time since the Cold War, was the installment of short-range missiles near Poland capable of striking NATO territory. The US plans to build a missile defense shield in Central Europe, a plan Obama supports. Obama needs to take a hard-line approach with the Russians and needs to reestablish US trade and influence in Latin America. This realignment of power in the world is seemingly headed down a road of a new struggle for power and influence in the globe, and the last place America needs to fight for influence is in its own hemisphere. Obama needs to restrain from the policies America has used for the past century with Latin America, interventionism. He must work with Latin American leaders and countries to build a strong alliance with the countries right below us and make sure our rivals do not get too far ahead of us. Also, the Obama regime must make sure that Latin America our allies i the region remain pro-West and pro-American.