At the end of September, Chavez made his second trip to Russia this year, and the sixth since he became president. Chavez has visited Russia more times than any other Latin American leader has. During his most recent visit, Russia guaranteed Venezuela a $1 billion loan for weapons purchases and cooperation in military and technology.

In early October, Chavez said that Venezuela was "very interested" in Russia's offer to help Venezuela build a nuclear reactor for civilian use. Soon after, the Venezuelan military announced that Venezuela would buy a large amount of Russian weapons to replace its old equipment and improve existing defenses.

The Caribbean has always been a bridge for Washington to exert economic and military control over Latin America. But it is also a weak point in U.S. global military deployment. The Russia-Venezuela military exercise threatens American dominance in the region. By strengthening its military presence in Latin America, Russia can not only strike back against Washington's missile defense system in Eastern Europe, but also build a global structure in which Russia and the United States infiltrate each other's spheres of influence.

U.S. reaction

Distracted by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Washington has neglected Latin America. But it is trying to make up for lost time. Therefore, it is closely watching the joint military exercise and trying to minimize its impact. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Thomas Shannon said that the closeness between Russia and Venezuela did not pose a "military or geopolitical threat," and thus would not resurrect Cold War tensions.

In fact, the United States has grave concerns about Russian-Venezuelan cooperation, especially that in military and energy fields. When testifying earlier this year before the Senate Intelligence Committee, Director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency Michael Maples said it was obvious that Russia is trying to restore its military power in Latin America to show its growing economic strength and political confidence. Meanwhile, Venezuela's demands are increasing. It needs more Russian weapons-submarines, transport aircraft, fighter aircraft, air defense systems, helicopters and thousands of assault rifles-to guarantee its position as a regional military power. As a close neighbor of the United States, Chavez never stops criticizing Washington. The joint exercise with Russia will definitely enrage Washington and further strain the U.S.-Venezuela relations.

There is still a big gap between Russia and the United States in national power. But in terms of military strength, Russia is still the only state that can compete with the United States. Russia is also Europe's energy lifeline, supplying most of its oil and natural gas. It therefore has chips with which to bargain with the United States on global issues and in their bilateral relations. As tension remains over Georgia, Russia's military and energy cooperation with Venezuela is a new challenge to Washington.

Globalization and the financial crisis have deepened interdependence and cooperation among big powers, making it unlikely that tension between Russia and the United States will escalate into military conflict. But Russia is using this joint military exercise as a warning that, in Latin America and elsewhere, the United States is no longer the only player in the game.