ANALYSIS – In the ‘what the h*ll are you thinking' category – a contingent of Russian soldiers marched in the annual Mexican Independence Day parade over the weekend.
Russian troops had participated before, but not since Moscow launched its war of aggression against Ukraine.
This year marked 213 years since the end of Spanish rule in Mexico.
And even as deadly fentanyl precursor ingredients are entering Mexico, to then be made into the deadly drug and flood the U.S., a Communist Chinese military honor guard from the People's Liberation Army (PLA) also marched alongside Mexican troops.
The presence of the Russian troops drew criticism because of Russia's brutal invasion of its neighbor. Mexico, which has long harbored bitterness against the United States for intervening militarily in Mexico in the 1800s, has condemned Russia's invasion but has adopted a policy of ‘neutrality' and has refused to participate in sanctions.
Populist socialist Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (known as AMLO) noted that a contingent from China also participated. “All the countries that Mexico has diplomatic relations with were invited,” he said.
AMLO admitted the issue had become “a scandal” but blamed it on the news media being against him.
Ukraine's Ambassador to Mexico, Oksana Dramaretska, posted online that “The civic-military parade in Mexico City was stained by the participation of a Russian regiment; the boots and hands of these war criminals are stained with blood.”
But this is only the latest Russian flirtation by AMLO.
As Arturo Sarukhan writes in his commentary for Brookings: “…it would seem that some in Mexico, unwittingly, or wittingly, seem intent on opening a ‘second front' for Moscow from there.”
What's behind all of this? Given that Mexico trades in two days with the United States what it trades in a whole year with Russia, ideology seems to be paramount. The traditional left in Mexico — and throughout Latin America in general — tend to support policies that push back against “Western imperialism” but is also skeptical of liberalism and what it perceives as its institutions and stakeholders, which — like many authoritarian regimes — it considers to be tools of Western values and hegemony.
It should therefore come as no surprise that the Mexican left is inclined to swallow and regurgitate Russian disinformation and propaganda (“NATO aggression,” “denazification of Ukraine”), see sanctions as another form of “imperialism” and an attempt to corner Russia, and resort to RT and Sputnik as sources of valid information.
The Kremlin, creating a contrast with U.S. troops on Russia's borders, has also asked frequently, if rhetorically, what if Russian troops were stationed across the border in Mexico?
Maybe this is one way for Moscow to make that point. But there is more to the story.
As ABC News reported:
Some members of López Obrador's Morena party have publicly expressed affection for Russia even after the invasion, and López Obrador has frequently criticized the United States for sending arms to Ukraine.
López Obrador's administration has continued to buy Russia's Sputnik COVID vaccine and intends to use it as a booster shot later this year, along with Cuba's Abdala vaccine.
Experts have questioned the use of those vaccines, along with Mexico's own Patria vaccine, as a booster for new variants, because all of them were designed in 2020 to combat variants circulating at the time.
Mexico would rather buy old and likely ineffective vaccines from Russia than be on better terms with the United States. Under AMLO, Mexico is also a helpful tool for Moscow in other ways.
As Sarukhan wrote:
…Viktor Koronelli, Russia's ambassador to Mexico, who said during the recent launching of the Mexico-Russia friendship caucus that “Mexico will never join anti-Russian sanctions” and that “across the world, there are countries like China, like India, like Mexico, that will never say ‘Yes, Sir' to Uncle Sam's orders.”
Despite all this Russian bravado and bluster, I would be just as concerned, or more so, about the Chinese military presence in the parade. As AMLO noted, a contingent from China also participated, and no one complained about that.
But China's influence in Mexico is likely far more significant than Russia's and far more threatening to the United States.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
READ NEXT: House Republicans Set Date For Biden Impeachment Inquiry Kickoff
13 Comments
Just one more sign of bidim’s weakness in his international policies. Mexico would never do this if the U S of A had a stronger president.
GO BRANDON HAS DESTROYED RELATIONS WITH MOST OF OUR EUROPEAN NATIONS, ASIAN AND NOW SOUTH OF THE BORDER AND HAS SET US UP WITH AN OPEN BORDER WHERE RUSSIAN AND CHINESE AGENTS ARE CROSSING OVER OUR OPEN BORDER !! BIDEN IS A TRAITOR AND A CHINESE SPY !
“Mexico would rather buy old and likely ineffective vaccines…”
Never effective, SURE not safe.
If the Mexican government was truly our friend they would be helping with the problems at the border and doing a better job of putting the cartels out of business. And I agree that the loser in the White House is such a wimp that no one respects the U.S. anymore.
As the late Osama bin Laden used to say (about the United States), “People tend to favor a strong horse over a weak one.”
What’s new here? You do realize Mexico supported Hitler in WW ll.
The Mexican Expeditionary Air Force (FAEM) was a military aviation unit which represented Mexico on the Allied side during World War II. It is notable as the only Mexican military unit ever to fight outside Mexico itself.
??
Yes!! President Polk’s war against Mexico was illegal. He used a False Flag to send troops to create a pretext to steal the entire southwest! Manifest Destiny is code for land theft and genocide!
nps. gov/places/the-mexican-american-war.htm
Thanks Mexico for aiding OUR enemies
Thank the Cartels too
Let’s see how the US reacts if Russia or China bring nuclear weapons to Mexico. Maybe then the US will understand why Ukraine joining NATO was a red-line for Russia.
STRONG letters to follow!
The answer to the Mexican problem is simple close the border down, stop all trade with Mexico, triple all tariffs on any imported products, Round up all illegals that entered from Mexico and return to Mexico. Simple