This puts Cuba in a difficult situation because there were undeclared weapons shipments to North Korea. Whether they were intended to be repaired or not is an excellent question. I do wonder why the Cubans couldn't get Russian technicians to come to Cuba and repair the equipment there? Or was this a way to get around UN sanctions? Cuba can't provide assurances those weapons were to be returned.
The. USA is clearly focused on an emerging Venecuba threat because the Cuban sway and control over Venezuela's government is evident. Some may question my position, but ever since Maduro took power we have observed quite a few moves to roll back and fix problems left behind or created by Chavez, mainly the crime and corruption. We have also seen half baked economic moves, and the government headed in the direction of eliminating the power of students and universities. This is clearly Raul Castro flavored. That is hard moves against crime and corruption but also moves to impose a more centralized command and control system over society. Other problems such as the total breakdown in the judiciary haven't been addressed.
Therefore if I put on my American elite hat I see Venezuela controlled by Cubans. This hybrid has serious economic weaknesses but they have a strategic location. Venezuela's oil is a non issue because its production is lower and the crude, which is mostly low quality can be replaced with Canadian crude. Therefore the potential threat from Venecuba arises precisely from both geography and their alliance with regimes the USA considers potential threats to its allies. This includes North Korea and Iran. Therefore I'd expect them to use this weapons find to squeeze Cuba.
The biggest threat the USA can use is to warn USA citizens to abandon Venezuela and cut back the Cuban diaspora remits of cash to Cuba. The Cuban exile community is the biggest source of funds for the regime, after Venezuelan subsidies with tourism in third place. Thus Cuban behavior in taking over Venezuela using the Manchurian candidate, Maduro, may backfire real bad. I do wonder if this weapons shipment may not have been orchestrated by Cubans inside the government who are tired of the half baked communist approach and want to execute a revolution against the dinosaur establishment. Meaning there are forces led by Diaz Canel rebelling against Fidel Castro? Time will tell.
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