Forget the Threats Overseas, America is at Risk in its Own Backyard

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. —>LOTS MORE HERE

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