Scott Downey
Well-Known Member
How Russian vaccine Sputnik V spread through Latin America
How Russian vaccine Sputnik V spread through Latin America
Analysis by Stefano Pozzebon, CNN 39 mins ago
Somehow pasting a few lines of text puts in whole article, but what is interesting is this truth, that what CNN calls liberals (really socialist democrats progressive technocrat globalists ) have ruined Americas reputation in the entire region.
"Russia made a big bet on the vaccine: in the last few years, Russia has re-discovered Latin America, not for ideology but because if your goal is to question the norms and values of the liberal international order, Latin America is a region particularly sensitive to that goal," Serbin said.
Turning to Moscow for help
Though historically seen as Washington's geopolitical "backyard," Latin America is increasingly turning to Moscow for help dealing with the pandemic. Six countries across the region -- Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Venezuela -- have now authorized use of the Sputnik V vaccine. Others are considering authorization requests, ever more urgent given the global shortage of available vaccines.
Even before the negotiations start, the RDIF lists Sputnik V's price at approximately $10 per doses — roughly half the price of the Pfizer vaccine, which costs $19.50 per dose. Latin American economies have been badly hit by the pandemic, and any possible saving is more than welcome by administrators and politicians.
The Russian vaccine can also be stored at a temperature of 2 to 8°C (35 to 45°F) and does not require the ultra-freezing temperature the Pfizer vaccine is stored at. Most of Latin America lacks the infrastructure to maintain ultra-freezing temperatures, especially in rural regions with limited road access.
Other privately made vaccines, like those made by AstraZeneca and Moderna, are yet to arrive in large quantities in Latin America, while countries like Brazil, Chile and Mexico have invested in Chinese-made vaccines.
Around the world, 26 countries have approved the Sputnik V vaccine.
What Russia stands to gain
Former diplomats and analysts in Buenos Aires, Bogota and La Paz say Russian president Vladimir Putin could now reap benefits from the vaccine's spread, potentially using it as a global business card to start new and more forgiving relationships.
According to Andres Serbin, president of the Regional Coordinator of Social and Economic Research (CRIES), a foreign policy think tank in Buenos Aires, Russia's interests in Latin America are both political, to rival the United States' hegemony in the Western hemisphere, and commercial, expanding markets for Russian-owned companies. Selling the vaccine serves both of these objectives.
"Russia made a big bet on the vaccine: in the last few years, Russia has re-discovered Latin America, not for ideology but because if your goal is to question the norms and values of the liberal international order, Latin America is a region particularly sensitive to that goal," Serbin said.
