For those who think a new cold war has broken out， this week seemed to provide some evidence. A nuclear-powered cruiser and two other Russian warships arrived in the Caribbean to exercise with the Venezuelan navy. Onshore， Russia’s president， Dmitry Medvedev， met Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez as part of a Latin American tour. Last year another visitor from far-flung parts， Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad， turned up in Latin America.

　　To some in the United States， this flurry of outside interest in a region that they considered their “backyard” is threatening. They see it is a sign that under President George Bush America has lost influence in the region. In fact， Latin America’s international ties have long been diverse， but they are becoming even more so as the world changes.

　　It is Mr Chávez’s search for allies in his rhetorical and political battle against the “empire”， as he likes to call the United States， that pricked the interest of Russia and Iran. For Russia， its Caribbean naval jaunt is a symbolic riposte to America’s plan to place missile batteries in Poland and to its dispatch of naval vessels to distribute aid in Georgia. The same goes for its recent revival of ties with Cuba.

　　The motive for Iran’s recent interest in Latin America seems to be a desire to add to its small stock of diplomatic friends around the world， and to score propaganda points against the United States.

　　All Latin American countries are naturally keen to diversify their economic relations， and some seek wider political ties. And the foreign leader that most Latin American politicians will be keenest to see over the coming year is Barack Obama.