Russia Group: Russia's Venezuela Foray: Tit for Tat

This article was intended for week 1:

Recently, Russia and Venezuela have been "swaping " weapons, which they claim to have planned before Russia began conflict with Georgia. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez had welcomed two Russian Tu-160 long-range bombers into the country, where they'll stay a few days conducting training flights before returning to Russia.
It is apparently a mere coincidence that "Georgia is strategically located on a crucial energy route along Russia's southern periphery, Venezuela's location in the Caribbean makes it a key gateway to the oil economy of the Gulf of Mexico." Supporters of the president believe this is a way to a blockade from a U.S. led-invasion, however, some argue that they were forced to buy arms from Russia because the U.S. has banned sales of weapons to the country.
According to a Russian military spokesman, "role of the Russian vessels would be confined to search-and-rescue and communications exercises." It is stated that it is a common practice that allows other militaries to learn from others, its a coincidence that it is happening at this time.
Chavez's response to the U.S.'s assumption that the planned naval exercises are a message to Washington was "Go ahead, Yankees, whine."
It's is interesting that years after the Cold War, these two countries believe that going through with such actions as controversial as these can be overlooked as "common." The world is not in a right time to carry out such "exercises" as an everyday event and not cause any worry.

by Ashlee Newcomb