A couple of years ago, I wrote a quick vignette titled “A Short History of the Venezuelan Missile Crisis” after rumors began to circulate that Ahmadinejad of Iran and Chavez of Venezuela were working toward military cooperation that could include transfer of military hardware and personnel between the two countries.
It turns out that my dire predictions may have just been a little early, as evidence has now surfaced that Iran may indeed be attempting to locate land based surface to surface missiles in Venezuela that are capable of hitting the United States.
When coupled with Iran’s ongoing nuclear development program, Venezuela’s deep cash reserve because of oil profits, and the United States’ relative vulnerability on the world stage, it would not surprise me that Iran and Venezuela might try to make a power play now. They stand to gain a great deal of prestige with quite a few anti-US nations facing down the United States, and many of the US’s traditional allies will probably be squeamish about supporting any US response, especially if military action is involved.
The timing of this information also points to the recent escalation of tensions between North and South Korea, especially considering that North Korea is a long-time ally of Iran. All that remains to complete the stage is if Syria joins in the fun.
DLH
