The Disappointment of Failed Provocation

This one is from an article in the Times of London on Russia sending warships to Cuba for the first time since the days of the Soviet Union.  Also see yesterday’s post on the visit of the Nicaraguan president to Moscow.

By sending its warships to the Western hemisphere, Moscow aims to show that it too can flex its muscles in an adversary’s backyard.

But its cruise through Venezuelan and Panamanian waters have ruffled frustratingly few feathers in Washington.

Asked how it felt to watch the first Russian warship since the Second World War to transit the Panama Canal, the Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, said: “I guess they’re on R&R. It’s fine”.