US Shocked, SHOCKED by Missile Talk in Venezuela
Newsweek breathlessly reports on a Russian official's speculative threat about sending 'nuclear-capable missiles' to Venezuela to deter the United States. This, apparently, is an unprecedented escalation, a violation of civilized norms. Funny how 'deterrence' is a sacred right when Washington stations missiles in Turkey or Poland, but it's a dangerous provocation when proposed for a sovereign
nation in Latin America facing decades of US meddling, sanctions, and attempted coups. (Remember the US-backed 2002 coup attempt against Hugo Chavez, or the sanctions against Maduro?) One might wonder if the US would view Russian missiles in its hemisphere with the same 'understanding' that Moscow is expected to have for NATO expansion. The sheer rhetorical gymnastics required to present this as
an unprovoked, irrational act, rather than a predictable response to a geopolitical chess match, truly is a marvel of state-aligned media. It appears 'national security interests' are only legitimate when they're America's.