Russia is a familiar figure in Latin America; thus, its reemergence is neither surprising nor challenging. In its previous imperialistic form as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the country had a significant presence in South America, especially in Nicaragua and Cuba, during the Cold War Era in the 60s and 70s. However, with the end of the Cold War and the breakage of the USSR into different countries, it weakened and eventually officially left the continent in the 1990s. After over a decade out of the region, the world is witnessing a resurgence of Russia’s activities. While Latin America has never featured prominently as a significant part of Russia’s foreign policy, it indirectly uses the region to exert influence on the international arena by creating multi-polarity, which keeps superpowers such as the US and China in check. The increased Russia’s direct and indirect activities in Latin America, such as high-level visits by Russian officials, expanding weapon sales, and establishment of media houses, aim to counterbalance the US, giving it space to operate in its region without interference.
Russia’s current activities and objectives in Latin America mirror those of its predecessor during the Cold War. In the ’60s, the USSR and the US were engaged in a bitter ideological conflict, with each trying to win over the world to its brand of politics and economic development. The USSR wanted to spread communism, which the US opposed. It used Latin American countries as proxies in the Cold War. Nicaragua and Cuba were prominent USSR supporters, with the latter allowing the country to position anti-American missiles on its territory. The USSR challenged the US control in its immediate neighborhood. After the Cold War, the USSR’s influence in the region waned, and it finally withdrew to deal with domestic and regional issues (Secrieru, 2021). However, the USSR retained significant ties with the area and continued supporting Latin American countries through military and security agencies, training scholarships, and the sale of military equipment. Further, it retained a robust institutional memory. Russia, the USSR successor, is using historical connections to enhance its presence in the region. It is supporting some former Soviet-trained and funded guerrilla leaders such as President Daniel Ortega. Also, Russia is providing military equipment and enhancing their tactical and intelligence capabilities. Thus, Russia’s approach in Latin America is similar to its predecessor’s.
Russia rides on several legacy advantages in its emergence on the Latin American scene. First, Russia has maintained contact with the region even after the USSR withdrew in the 1990s. Some of the prominent members in the current administrations in the region were former allies of the Soviet Union. Some have even become presidents in their countries. While they may harbor negative feelings because of the USSR’s drastic action of cutting its support to them and withdrawing, they are willing to work with its successor instead of the US. It is easier to reestablish diplomatic relations with such people than to cultivate new friendships. Further, the US had a bad reputation from the era when it propped up right-wing murderous dictators such as Somoza. Most people in Latin America have negative sentiments regarding the US due to its support for the military regimes that perpetrated extreme atrocities on its citizens. Therefore, leaders in the region, such as the leftist Argentinian leader Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, are more comfortable and willing to deal with Russia than the US. Thus, the USSR Legacy has provided President Putin with an easier time establishing Russia in the Latin American scene.
In the 2000s, Russia experienced rapid economic growth due to the oil price surge, providing President Putin with the resources to conduct a bold foreign policy in Latin America. Armed with the petroleum dollars, Russia convinced many Latin American Countries to establish bilateral relationships with it in exchange for financial support, including grants and loans (Secrieru, 2021). The economic resurgence in Russia placed it in a favorable position as a significant business partner with the Latin American nations. Also, the oil resources enabled Russia to modernize and properly equip its military. The military gained the capacity to conduct extensive power projection activities, such as the Air Force flag showing operations in the South American region. Thus, the oil price hikes in 2000 led to Russia’s economic stabilization and growth, providing it the resources it needed to engage in robust foreign policy activities in Latin America.
Russia’s operations in Latin America aimed to counterbalance America’s global power, enabling the former to escape international isolationism and allowing it to deal with domestic and regional challenges aggressively. America is still a superpower with significant influence on global affairs. It has the capacity and powerful allies to pose substantial challenges to Russia in its regional operations, like the ongoing fight with Ukraine. At the UN, the US has veto power and can convince most members to vote against Russia’s interests. Therefore, Vladimir Putin has opted to be proactive by registering Russia’s presence in Latin America. The emergence in South America serves several purposes for Russia. It takes the battle to the US, just like the latter has decided to interfere in Russia’s neighborhoods (Farah & Reyes, 2016). While the US and its allies provide arms to Ukraine in its fight against Russia, the latter supports enemies of the former in its backyard. Russia supported Hugo Chavez and Nikolas Maduro, the US’s arch-enemies. The US-backed opposition was unable to remove the two leaders from power, with significant support from Russia. Therefore, such actions keep the US unbalanced as it deals with challenges in its neighborhood and may be forced to cut back on interference in the Russian region to concentrate on Latin America, the allies it takes for granted.
Being an active player in Latin America creates multi-polarity in international affairs, reducing the US’s dominating power. The bilateral relations and support offered and promised to Latin America by President Putin have gained him significant allies. The US can no longer push for the resolution to sanction Russia for its actions, such as the annexation of Georgia. Its Latin American allies oppose such proposals, as does the UN. In a recent showdown at the UN, several Latin American countries supported Russia; others voted for the US, while the majority abstained. It indicates that Russia’s “asymmetrical warfare” in the region is working. Russia’s leading doctrine argues that physical warfare is outdated in winning support from nations. Instead, an application of all capabilities at a nation’s disposal will be more effective. They include trade, financial support, sales of military equipment, use of mass and electronic media, and establishment of strategic partnerships (Secrieru, 2021). Russia has been so effective in the asymmetric warfare in Latin America that there is a block of nations in the region known as CELAC (Comunidad de Estados Latinamericanos y Caribeños), where it is invited to attend meetings, but the US is excluded. Therefore, Russia’s expansion in Latin America has created Multi-polarity, which neutralizes the US’s hegemonic influence.
The US is partly to blame for its declining popularity in the immediate neighborhood. Historically, the US has intervened in the region’s politics and economics, leaving the people traumatized. Its cold war against communism in the 60s led to the toppling of leftist governments democratically elected by the people and imposed military dictatorships (Farah & Reyes, 2016). Incidentally, Russia (USSR) supported democratic leftist governments, while the US funded the opposite side. Most people in the region still feel aggrieved over the atrocities committed in their countries by American-supported dictators. Further, the US has scaled back its military and diplomatic engagement in the region since 2010. It has cut back on civilian and military aid to the region, and joint initiatives with the countries have suffered due to the budget cuts. The decline in support and engagement leaves a vacuum that other powers, including China, Russia, and Europe, are angling to fill. The US is gradually losing its leadership due to its reduced engagement and support in the Latin American region, opening opportunities for other nations, including Russia, to create counter-narratives and multiple sources of power and influence.
The Russian expansion in Latin America implies that the US has lost the leadership to control and shape the Latin American narratives and politics. After the fall of communism and the end of the Cold War, the US embarked on supporting the expansion of the democratic space in the region. The ideals of democracy started flourishing, with many countries holding successful free and fair elections. However, with the reemergence of Russia in the region, the ideals of democracy are once again being si (Secrieru, 2021). Russia is supporting leaders who side with them to cling to power, even after rigging elections. In Venezuela, for example, Russia supported Maduro to retain the presidency against a US-backed opposition onslaught. Such a loss creates a narrative of the US’s waning influence in the region. Print and mass broadcast by Russian official media in the region and Latin American radio, television, and print. The narratives gradually weaken the US position in the region, and it is no longer capable of effectively shaping the politics in South America.
Russia indirectly supports criminal activities in the Latin American region. In its push to find allies in the region, Russia supports groups that are involved in drug trafficking. Also, Russian criminal gangs have increased activity in the area. The decline in the demand and, consequently, the price of Cocaine in the US market pushes more traffickers to depend on Russian groups to move the product into the region, where the demand is growing and the prices are escalating (Farah & Reyes, 2016). The US antinarcotics are unable to track the drug movement once Russia is involved. Therefore, Russia’s expansion inadvertently perpetuates drug trafficking and the violence involved.
Overall, Russia has a history of operations in Latin America, having been active in the region as the USSR during the Cold War. Its current interest in expanding into the region is primarily to use as a foreign policy tool to wage a diplomatic war against the US’s global hegemonic tendencies. It plans to create an alternative center of power to counterbalance the US. At the UN, the US will lack the majority vote to pass resolutions to place sanctions on nations that do not toe its line and ideology. Russia is taking the diplomacy war to the US neighborhoods as retaliation for the latter’s activities in the former region, including supporting Ukraine. It is using the expansion in the South American region to further its foreign policy indirectly. It applies various strategies, including high-profile visits, arms sales, financial support, and the media to enhance its profile in the region.
References
Farah, D. & Reyes, L.E. (2016). Russia in Latin America: A Strategic Analysis. PRISM, 5(4), 100-117
Secrieru, S. (2021). The comeback kid: Russia in Latin America. European Union Institute for Security Studies. https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep37734
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