Just as the headlines feature a Video Posted by Ukrainian Government Shows Russian Surface-to-Air Missile Carrier Hightailing It Back to Russia… Missing One Missile, Russia will reopen spy base in Cuba
A report that Russia will reopen a Havana base that eavesdropped on U.S. communications from Key West to Washington has triggered fresh warnings of Moscow’s expansionism and predictions of a continued freeze in U.S.-Cuba relations.
Until its closure in 2002, the Lourdes base was Moscow’s largest intelligence facility abroad, with up to 1,500 KGB and GRU military intelligence officers manning an array of antennas and computers in the super-secret 28-square-mile base.
The article says, “If true, reports that Russia will reopen a spy base in Cuba will complicate, if not halt, any Obama administration effort to warm up relations with Havana,” which is risible, considering current U.S. foreign policy.
Pope Francis demands justice for Jewish centre attack victims
Building the myth of under-development, BRIC by BRIC
CUBA
ISIS follows Castro playbook
Cuban Political Prisoner of the Day, Alexander Fernandez Rico, July 18, 2014
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Many Haitian migrants in Dominican Republic find they lack documents to get legal status
ECUADOR
ALBA’s Favorite Lobbyist
HONDURAS
US child migrants: Honduras calls for anti-drugs plan
HUMOR
In Mexico, impunity prevails for attacks on the journalists, says Article 19
PERU
Update: Family of ODU student who died in Peru hopes he could be back home by next week

The week’s posts:
Andrew McCarthy on the border invasion
Ecuador: BloombergBusinessweek lays it on the line
At Da Tech Guy Blog:
This week in smart diplomacy