The Washington establishment’s security apparatus spends extraordinary effort on an endless array of overseas military operations.
But it has neglected America’s own backyard.
Left untended, that backyard has become increasingly occupied by hostile squatters as China, Russia, and Iran descend upon Latin America and the Caribbean to spread their autocratic ideologies.
The Monroe Doctrine, which declared the Western Hemisphere off limits to foreign meddling, is nearly dead mere months before its 200th anniversary.
And this could have perilous consequences for the US.
Established by President James Monroe in December 1823, the doctrine declared that “the United States would not tolerate further colonization or puppet monarchs” within its spheres of influence.
Most crucially, the doctrine states that any attempt by European powers to exert control in America’s backyard would be viewed as a hostile act against the United States.
Nearly two centuries on, China, unsurprisingly, has emerged as the biggest intruder into the region.
Last month, The Wall Street Journal reported that China had made a secret deal with Cuba to build a spy base on the island just 100 miles from Florida.
It wouldn’t be the first such facility.
According to Biden Administration officials, China has operated a Cuban intelligence base since at least 2019 — and possibly far longer.
According to a 2011 unclassified report by the US Army War College, China has, for decades, maintained at least three Soviet-era surveillance outposts “intended to ‘facilitate’ the PRC’s operations against the United States in the event of a significant downturn in the Washington-Beijing relations.”
Operated by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the spy centers include signals intelligence (SIGINT) capabilities that target and collect US communications, such as radio, cell phones, and military satellite transmissions.
The centers also perform cyberespionage operations.
In March 2016, Florida Senator Marco Rubio confirmed, albeit indirectly, the existence of at least one of China’s Cuban spy sites, demanding “this Chinese listening station in Bejucal” should be kicked out of the country.
It’s easy to understand why. Located just 90 miles from Florida, the Bejucal SIGINT outpost enables Chinese intelligence to scoop up electronic communications across the southeastern US, including military bases and US ship traffic.
A mere 325 miles from the US military’s Central Command headquarters at Tampa, the spy center is also ideally positioned to intercept US military communications signals, track ballistic missiles, and even monitor US space launches.
Even more alarming, China is working to establish a naval base at Tierra del Fuego, in the southernmost part of Argentina, which would enable the Chinese Navy to control a critical commercial and naval passage that connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
And China’s extensive commercial presence along the Panama Canal, experts warn, could also be easily converted from civilian to military use.
For most of the Cold War, Russia was the long-time patron of Cuba. More recently, however, Russia has expanded its footprint across Latin America.
Their biggest stock in trade is weaponry — arms and other forms of military hardware sold inexpensively to nations including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Nicaragua.
Russia has also long placed contractors and advisers within local defense ministries for added doses of influence.
Like China, Russia maintains an electronic intercept and surveillance base in Cuba — along with several ground stations for its GLONASS satellite network, a Russian version of the GPS.
Similar facilities operate in Brazil and Nicaragua, while another is set for deployment in Venezuela.
Although ostensibly installed to combat drug trafficking, the satellite networks can just as easily support Russian intelligence (and even military) efforts.
Indeed, in addition to its standard precision, navigation, and targeting capabilities, GLONASS satellites can also carry secret payloads designed to detect nuclear explosions.
Russian military forces also operate within Nicaragua, which is run, once again, by America’s old foe Daniel Ortega.
And the infamous Wagner mercenaries who tried to overthrow Putin in June, provide security to Venezuela’s notoriously anti-US dictator Nicolas Maduro, and help train his army.
Then there’s Iran, whose president Ebrahim Raisi conducted high-level meetings in Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua last month to support fellow nations impacted by US sanctions.
Iran has a history in the region.
Its elite Quds Forces, for instance, have long provided security and military hardware to the Maduro regime, while the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist group — responsible for countless American deaths — has helped prop up the dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela.
Hezbollah has also reportedly launched terror attacks in Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.
Perhaps the most worrisome developments, however, are taking place literally in America’s backyard.
During a recent House Homeland Security Subcommittee hearing, members received confirmation that Russia, China, and other adversaries seek to exploit the crisis at America’s southern border.
Witness testimonies revealed increasing numbers of encounters between Mexican transnational criminal organizations and illegal migrants linked to the Chinese Communist Party.
Along with providing a potential pathway for terrorists, border breaches are ideal for boosting the flow of fentanyl into the US, according to the hearings.
The Monroe Doctrine, while not entirely dead, has been on life support for decades.
Back in 2013, President Barack Obama’s then Secretary of State John Kerry — nowadays, a key Biden adviser — declared in a speech to the Organization of American States, “The era of the Monroe Doctrine is over…That’s not a bad thing.”
America is fighting a proxy war with Russia in Ukraine.
It is preparing for a war with China over Taiwan.
And it is perennially threatened by Iran, which is on the cusp of possessing nuclear weapons.
Sorry, Secretary Kerry, the end of a policy that kept these adversaries far from our doorstep is very much a bad thing.
Rebekah Koffler is the president of Doctrine & Strategy Consulting, a former DIA intelligence officer, and the author of “Putin’s Playbook: Russia’s Secret Plan to Defeat America.” Twitter: @Rebekah0132
