Helping the enemy: Europe sustains Latin-American dictatorships who back Russia

By: Carlos Sánchez Berzaín - 21/05/2023

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Due to Russia’s invasion to Ukraine, the world lives today experiencing the “First Global War” in which there are two sides; the invader’s, comprised by dictatorships, and the side for the defense of freedom of democratic countries. The axis of confrontation is -once again- dictatorship against democracy and the battlefront is Europe due to its proximity to Ukrainian territory where the combat is taking place. In this war, Latin American dictatorships under Cuba’s command in Venezuela, Bolivia, and Nicaragua are Russia’s partners and operators, while Europe helps them financially and politically. This is the incredible help to the enemy.

The old adage “my enemy’s friend is not my friend” falls far short in the face of the incomprehensible attitude of the European Union and its 27 member States in their dealings with Russia’s friends, supporters, and operators from Latin America. Cuba’s dictatorship, subordinated to Russia, leads and controls the regimes from Venezuela, Bolivia, and Nicaragua where it has expanded its model. Beyond this, Cuba -through the mechanism of 21st Century Socialism- also marks the foreign policy of Para-Dictatorial governments established in Brazil with Lula, Mexico with Lopez-Obrador, Argentina with Fernandez and Kirchner, Chile with Boric, and Colombia with Petro.

Cuba’s dictatorship, which for over 64 years has wielded power, has turned its country into a total crisis of hunger, misery, violation of human rights, bankrupt economy, trafficking of people and 21st century slavery, narco-State, and the epicenter of conspiracy and permanent destabilization of democracies throughout the Americas and the world. In this region, Cuba has been the main base for the extinct communist Soviet Union and today is the main platform of support of Russia’s invasion to Ukraine. Its satellites from Venezuela, Bolivia, and Nicaragua are today armed bases with Russian equipment and presence.

An enemy is someone against. The word “enemy” can be used as an adjective or substantive and is used to name something or someone who turns out to be against, opposed, or contrary to someone or to themselves. To be against means someone who “harms or interferes,” someone who is in opposition. In the case of Russia’s invasion to Ukraine, Russia’s condition is clear that by attacking Ukraine it is attacking the totality of Europe and the free and democratic world. Russia, with its current regime led by Putin, has declared itself an enemy of Europe and democracies throughout the world.

Faced with Russia’s invasion to Ukraine, the reaction of the free-world has configured the block of Russia’s allies with different degrees of subordination and participation. Russia is associated with dictatorships throughout the world. With China, the communist dictatorship with capitalist operations throughout the world that has ignited tensions with Taiwan; Iran, the theocratic dictatorship; North Korea, the family dictatorship; Russian satellite countries; and in Latin America all 21st Century Socialism’s dictatorships, or Castrochavism, in Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Nicaragua and States with Para Dictatorial governments where it exerts influence.

In this scenario, it is impossible not to recognize and identify the enemy. The Russia of today, is an enemy of Europe and the dictatorships from Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Nicaragua are Russia’s subordinated operators and support platforms in Latin America who, back Russia’s invasion to Ukraine with actions or omissions. Europe’s 27 countries maintain full and unfettered diplomatic relations with Castrochavist dictatorships and beyond that, they provide political and financial aid to them, contributing to their sustainment that -in essence- is tantamount to support the violation of human rights and the wielding of power through State-terrorism.

The European Union has maintained a policy to normalize relations with Cuba, the Dictatorship-In-Chief. In 2019, it triplicated its financial aid without any reported changes caused by Russia’s invasion to Ukraine and by the regime’s public openness in favor of the invader that included a visit of dictator Diaz-Canel to Russia and the visit of the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs to Cuba. The institutional European contributions are most important to Cuba’s dictatorship.

While the World Bank does not have foreign investment data in Cuba, the regime’s own data reveals that “the greatest number of entities with investments in Cuba belong to Spain with 104, Canada with 70, Italy with 57” and that “the numbers corresponding to France and England turn out to be significant and those belonging to China and Germany gradually increase.” So that, while Russia is sanctioned due to the invasion and European businesses and capital funds withdraw from Russian territory, these European businesses continue to be the main investors in Russia’s main partner, which is Cuba.

European citizens deserve to know that their taxes are contributing to help Russia their enemy, through the sustainment of the Organized Crime’s dictatorships in Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Nicaragua.

*Attorney & Political Scientist. Director of the Interamerican Institute for Democracy

Translation from Spanish by Edgar L. Terrazas

«The opinions published herein are the sole responsibility of its author».