Danger Room reports that Venezuela has just taken out a $2.2 billion line of credit for Russian military hardware.
Appearing yesterday on Aló Presidente, his weekly talk show, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced that Russia had extended a credit line worth $2.2 billion toward new arms purchases. As part of the deal, Venezuela will buy 92 T-72 main battle tanks (pictured); Smerch rocket artillery systems; and the Antey 2500 anti-ballistic missile system. “We have signed the contract already for this equipment,” Chavez said. “With these rockets it is going to be very difficult for them to come and bomb us.” It’s pretty clear who “they” are. Chavez – who often refers to the United States as “the empire” – said the military upgrade was needed to defend Venezuela’s oil and gas reserves from the Yankees.”We have the largest petroleum reserves in the world,” he said. “The empire has set its sights on them.”
Chavez knows full well that American military interests in South America are wholly restricted to combating narco-terrorism and that purchasing Venezuelan oil legally — as we’ve done for decades — is preferable (and far cheaper) to launching a military campaign to grab it. But that silly narrative has strong legs with leftists here in the United States and overseas, so it’s an easy way to militarize against Colombia without provoking the U.N. or other international watchdog groups. Plus, T-72 tanks are such useful tools for suppressing local dissent…
