birdwatcher

Carpenter@Cato: Since the proclamation of the Monroe Doctrine in the 1820s, U.S. leaders have stressed that the United States will not permit other powers to establish colonies or client states in the Western Hemisphere. The failure to enforce that doctrine effectively in the case of Moscow’s relationship with Fidel Castro’s regime in Cuba unwisely weakened the policy. It is important not to tolerate another precedent.

However, just as Moscow needs to back off from geopolitical intrusions in the Western Hemisphere, Washington must do the same in Eastern Europe. Barack Obama’s egregious interference in Ukraine’s internal political affairs during the 2013-2014 Maidan revolution constituted an assault on Russia’s vital security interests. It is time to acknowledge that all major powers maintain spheres of influence, and that harmonious relations among those powers require respect for those spheres. Washington’s clumsy, provocative behavior in Ukraine has created needless tensions and animosity. Moscow’s meddling in Venezuela is doing the same.