Soviets Back? (They Never Went Away Really)

Didn't you find it kind of funny when Bush II referred to the Russian Bear as "partners" in the war on terror? How about when the current POTUS wanted to hit the reset button on relations. I would imagine that he (Bush) really meant "junior" partners; something that Mr. Bear was not likely to agree to for long (if at all). Yes the Bear has been wounded and lost some territory and "allies" and that is a good thing, and yet, a wounded Bear may be more dangerous and unpredictable than the old Bear that we came to know and love. Now we are hearing of an Akula sub that has been patrolling the Gulf of Mexico apparently undetected. Imagine that. Our Navy has shifted focus since the "fall" of the Soviet Union away from anti submarine warfare to some extent. A resurgent Russian submarine force is something to take seriously (not to mention a growing Red Chinese undersea warfare capability).

I understand that there are those that say that turnabout is fair play. Our forces, along with our technologically advanced allies, cruise close to the Russians all the time. No matter and irrelevant. The fact that Russian and Chinese subs have come close to our shores and fleets undetected in the recent past is a matter for concern. It is time to again take seriously the submarine forces of potential enemies. If one remembers, the Soviet era submarine force was designed to seriously hinder the resupply of our forces in Europe in the war that thankfully never came. Whether or not they would have been succesful is a matter of conjecture. Russia knows darn good and well that they can not seriously challenge Western surface forces with their rather meager surface fleet, but they can again be a problem if they continue to expand and develop their undersea warfare capability.

Perhaps it would be to our advantage to normalize relations with Cuba and thus take away the incentive for the Cuban govt to play ball with a far off resurgent power? Seems like a rational plan to me. Communism and perhaps anti Americanism in Cuba has a very limited time left on the clock anyway. Normalization of relations may be a good way to speed up the death of the communist regime. There are other advantages also.

Cuba could become again a playground of sorts for those who are interested in interesting things.

I have heard some rather radical Cuban "exiles" float trial balloons in the past of Cuba becoming a U.S. dependency (if not a state) similar to Puerto Rico in lieu of independence. That has some merit perhaps but the American sugar lobby would sure stomp their little feet. Wouldn't they? I digress........

The last thing this country need is a Cuba that is a marginally allied with Russia or China (or Iran for that matter). We are already having enough temporary trouble with Venezuela.

The Russian Bear? He ain't dead yet. He has only been licking his wounds and laying low for a couple of decades. It needs to be made clear to Russia and her poential allies in Latin America that the Gulf of Mexico and by extension, the Caribbean sea, is an American lake and is to remain that way.

H/T Bill Gerts at The Washington Free Beacon and a guy who goes by the name of DANEgerus over at the tweeting place.