Posted by
Joe on Monday, January 15, 2007 1:23:11 PM
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are
forging closer ties in an effort to counterbalance what they view as U.S. imperialism:
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and
Iran’s
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said they were ready to spend billions of dollars
(euros) financing projects in other countries to help thwart US
domination.
The anti-US Presidents whose efforts to extend their influence
have alarmed Washington met Saturday in Venezuela’s capital, the first
stop on Ahmadinejad’s tour of Latin America that will also see him
visit newly elected leftist leaders in Nicaragua and Ecuador.
After Venezuela, Ahmadinejad will visit newly elected leftist
governments in Nicaragua and Ecuador that are also seeking to reduce
Washington’s influence in the region. Bolivian President Evo Morales,
another critic of US policy, said he plans to meet with Ahmadinejad
while both are in Ecuador Monday.
Ahmadinejad’s visit Saturday - his second to
Venezuela in less than four months - comes as he seeks to break
international isolation over his country’s nuclear program and possibly
line up new allies in Latin America.
With Ahmadinejad trying to make inroads into the Western hemisphere, it may be time to assert the Monroe Doctrine. While he may not be attempting to introduce a formal military force into the region, Iran's history of financing terrorist proxies should be enough to cause concern. Of course, the Monroe doctrine as applied here would really involve the use of military force against Iran. The last thing we need is for Iran to become involved in financing and training radical anti-American Latin American groups to venture across the porous U.S.-Mexican border and launch terrorist attacks. This may be a reach, but I'm somewhat concerned.