CSMS Magazine Staff WritersIn an unprecedented move to further destabilize Global security, Russia has sent two Tu-160 bombers to Venezuela to conduct maneuvers in cooperation with the Venezuelan military. Venezuelan president himself, Hugo Chavez, made the announcement. It was confirmed by Moscow shortly thereafter. While there may be cheers in Venezuela and in Russia, there may be anger in Washington; and that will be used to strengthen the hands of the hawks within the Bush Administration when it comes to dealing with Russia.But How? An invasion to Venezuelan’s soil will also validate Russian argument that the United States is only interested in Gun Boat diplomacy, not democracy. According to some Russian military analysts, it was the first time Russian strategic bombers have landed in the Western Hemisphere since the end of Cold War. This latest development will certainly trigger some serious uneasiness in Latin America. Many observers believe that Washington might feel compelled to activate its historical alliance with military caudillos in the region to keep civilians leaders in a tight leash—those who might be interested in following Chavez’s footstep. A gleeful Chavez, in a televised speech, called the Russian deployment part of a move toward a “pluri-polar world.” And he added, “The Yankee hegemony is finished.”Meanwhile, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman, Alexander Drobyshevsky, has informed the media that the bombers “flew to Venezuela on a training mission and would conduct training flights over neutral waters in the next few days before returning to Russia.” But he did not say how long the strategic bombers would remain in the region. Moscow-based military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer said the Russian deployment “ is a redux of Cold War games, and a dangerous thing to do…It will only strengthen the hand of those in the United States who want to punish Russia for its action in Georgia.” This assertion was also echoed by Alexander Konovalov, head of the Moscow-based Institute for Strategic Assessment. According to Konovalov, “it’s a demonstration of Russia’s ability to do things nasty: You send warships to the Black Sea and we send bombers next to your door….It will have a negative impact on global stability.”

Ukrainian Government is the latest casualty

 The war in Georgia and the raw superpower rivalry that it has ushered in its aftermath have pushed the Ukrainian coalition government made up of the party of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and the smaller Our Ukraine party of President Viktor Yushchenko to collapse on Wednesday, resulting from a bitter rivalry between two former allies of the so-called 2004 “Orange revolution.” Adding to the crisis, Yushchenko has threatened to dissolve parliament and call for new elections unless a new coalition can be formed, blaming the crisis on his former ally now turned chief rival, billionaire tycoon Yulia Tymoshenko.It is easy to remember that the two were the leading proponents of the 2004 “Orange Revolution” backed by Washington and other western European powers in a dangerous campaign to catapult Viktor Yuschenko to the presidency against the pro-Russian candidate Viktor Yanukovich. Ukraine has been mired in an economic crisis since 2004 as a result of corruption and government mismanagement, pushing Yuschenko’s rating to an all time low—below the teens.Ukrainian president has suffered another humiliating setback on Monday in Paris, where French president Nicolas Sarkozy could only offer Ukraine a loosely based, token relationship with European Union, something that both Washington and Kiev blamed on Moscow ability to engineer division among EU members.  While Dick Cheney’s visit past weekend has exacerbated the resurgence of the Cold War, it has also strengthened Tymoshenko’s position, who still retains some popular support within Ukraine and who enjoys the backing of her vast personal fortune and that of her husband. She is seeking to replace Yuschenko in the presidencial election set for next year. At the same time, she is courting alliances with Moscow and the oligarchs of Russian-speaking eastern Ukraine who maintain close ties with Russia. Many believe this is the main reason behind her sudden volte-face against her previous anti-Russian chauvinist rhetoric. Up until now, she refuses to condemn the Kremlin’s recent military action in Georgia.As the cold war is being revived, one can only pray that it does not morph into a devastated, catastrophic hot one. It is clearly a tit-for-tat war of nerves, for on the same day the United States signed the missile shield defense system in Warsaw with Polish leaders, Russia signed a joint missile defense system with Byelorussian strongman, Alexander Lukaschenko. Byelorussia borders Poland to its west. And now the Kremlin is flexing its muscles even more, advancing into the US doorstep, in Venezuela. But in Central Asia, where the war for global dominance is being waged with a ferocious intensity, Russia is not afraid. It knows that time is on its side, for the antidemocratic and politically incendiary forces that Washington is betting on to win in Eurasia do not stand on solid grounds.Also see Russia’s victory in Georgia: a blow to US military and diplomatic efforts in the Caucuses Russian military repels Georgian troops from South OssetiaAs the war of words escalates in the Caucasus between Moscow and Tbilisi, Russian-US geopolitical tensions sharpen Russia’s new era?Vladimir Putin solidifies his hold on power in RussiaRussia’s new interest in Southeast AsiaRussia and China in a strategic alliance to counter NATO’s global ambitions