Countries that won't go on record as opposing Putin

All you really need to know is the outcome of the vote on the UN General Assembly Resolution ES-11/1. 141 countries voted to adopt the resolution. 5 countries voted to reject the resolution:

• Belarus,
• Democratic People's Republic of Korea,
• Eritrea,
• Russia, and
• Syria.

No surprises there. Belarus is fully under the control of Vladimir Putin. Kim Jong-un probably sees Putin as a role model. Eritrea is a dictatorship that Putin probably sees as a role model. The government of Syria remains in power because of Russian military intervention.

What's more interesting is the list of abstentions on ES-11/1. I've arranged these countries geographically.

• Africa: Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe.
• Americas: Bolivia, Cuba, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.
• Asia: Armenia, Bangladesh, China, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Tajikistan.

I'm not surprised by how many African countries did not want to go on record as crossing Putin. Russia does not have a history of cruel imperialism in Africa, but western Europe certainly does. And, dating back to the Soviet Union, many of these African countries have been trading partners with Russia or have received developmental assistance.

But South Africa? That's an eye-opener.

Likewise, I'm not surprised by how many Asian countries abstained. India and China are playing the middle, at least for now. Many of the others have a common border with Russia ("we could be next").

As for the Americas, note that Cuba — the most strident supporter of Communism in the Americas throughout my life —  did not oppose the UN resolution outright. I wonder to what extent the positions of Bolivia, El Salvador, and Nicaragua reflect antipathy toward the United States.