April 5, 2022—It’s still surprising how much of a wrench Russia threw into world politics when its leader in the Kremlin decided to invade Ukraine. While the effects in Europe, China, and the United States are front-page news on a daily basis, it seems like people are ignoring just how much the political game changed in Latin America.
For one, it changed how we perceive certain governments in terms of their alignment. Chile’s Gabriel Boric and Colombia’s Iván Duque clearly condemned the Russian invasion of a free state. They also voted with 139 other countries to condemn Russia’s aggressive actions.
Argentina also voted with the majority of the world’s countries. However, Argentina’s Vicente Fernández defended Putin’s invasion side-by-side with Brazil’s Bolsonaro. Interestingly, just prior to Russia’s brutal invasion, Alberto Fernandez met with Putin in Moscow and offered up Argentina as a “gateway” to Latin America, according to a story in El Pais. Incidentally, Fernandez also courted Chinese investment in infrastructure projects while attending the Beijing Olympics. But China is a whole other story.
In many ways, the war has thrown this continent into a place where left and right seem less important than trade in Russian oil, gas, and fertilizer.
A Mexican Holiday
Of course, that leaves us with a couple of special cases, and Mexico is one of them. For one, Mexico is playing to both sides of the emerging battle of free states respecting the rules-based international system versus a new world order where autocratic do what they want.
On the one hand, Mexico joined others in condemning Russia’s invasion. Furthermore, Mexican diplomats at the UN are working hard to provide humanitarian support for Ukrainians.
At the same time, back home, Mexican President Manuel Lopez Obrador seems to be focusing on his own personal crusade against the Mexican press. Like many world leaders in dangerous parts of the world, he is making use of the fact that the eyes of the world are focused elsewhere.
With rhetoric that reminds much of the continent of past trauma, AMLO keeps complaining that the press is against him. As an example, he called out the European Union for trying to defend journalists in the country. (Remember Mexico is the most dangerous country for journalists in the world, or at least the most dangerous country not at war.)
This contrast all played out in March. While thanking Mexico for standing up for Ukraine’s sovereignty, EU leaders criticized organized crime and the government’s attack on journalists.
“We are highly concerned about the rising number of assassinations and attacks against journalists and human rights defenders in Mexico, and about the hostile environment in which they work and risk their lives,” V?ra Jourová, an European Commission vice president, said in an address she gave in March.
A Trio of Strategic Ties With Russia: Cuba, Nicaragua & Venezuela
It’s notable that Putin tactically strengthened Russia’s ties with Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela before launching his war in Europe.
In a speech to the Russian State Duma in January, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Putin maintains “very close strategic cooperation ties,” according to reporting by the Russian state-owned Tass Agency. Furthermore, Lavrov said Putin is deepening ties with these “friendly,” strategic partners “in each and every field” and expects results in the near future.
Venezuelan Autocratic Loyalty And State-Owned Oil
Then we have Venezuela’s own weird reality. On one hand, Nicolás Maduro‘s government has openly defended the invasion and has even offered Putin military aid. Even while it really doesn’t look like the Venezuelan armed forces could really do much in that war, the fact that the two countries are cooperating on military is significant.
On the other hand, representatives of the Maduro regime started meeting with U.S. diplomats, restarting talks that stalled last Fall. They openly talked about the chance of lifting sanctions on the Venezuelan oil industry. In a lot of ways, it makes sense for both sides, U.S. President Joe Biden would be able to secure an energy source for U.S. consumers. Some might argue it would also weaken Putin’s economic presence in the region. For Maduro, it could give him a boost by helping the economic situation at home.
The problem for those who support democratic freedoms is that they ignored Venezuelan opposition leaders, catching Juan Guaidó and others off guard.
A Chaotic Region
In the end, the whole planet, including a Russian president who probably expected to have achieved domination of its neighbor by this point, is playing catch-up with the new order. Latin America is an already chaotic region with many elections this year and it will be interesting to see how the situation evolves.
Additional reporting by Patti Mohr, GER’s editor-at-large. This article is available for reprint with permission from Mohr Media. Publishers must provide a link back to this page. See our syndication page for information and contact Patti Mohr.
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