A reawakened Russian bear is seeking to reassert the former superpower’s clout by extending influence in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Latin America . This has seen Putin’s administration support an assortment of pariah regimes and separatist movements as it pushes to extend its international influence. While much of this has been portrayed by Moscow as an attempt to aid allies and extend Russian influence in order to ensure the integrity of its borders, the core motivation appears far more hard-nosed, the desire to gain greater control over lucrative global energy reserves. Russia’s success in Syria, where it supported President Bashar al-Assad’s beleaguered government, saw it secure considerable political influence and access to valuable oil and natural gas reserves. That success has provided a guiding structure for Moscow’s plans to extend influence within Latin America and gain greater control of the region’s extensive hydrocarbon reserves. It is Venezuela […]