By Rich Lowry, NR Editor. National Review Online, 4/07/00 5:05 p.m.
Castro skulks off into exile, or gets smashed by force of U.S. arms.
There is a very elegant deal waiting to be made in the Elián Gonzalez case: Elián for Castro. The island paradise can be made fit for Elián's return — and a better place for all children — by simply removing Fidel. Castro can make the choice whether he wants to
skulk off into exile in Uganda or someplace, or prefers to be smashed by force of U.S. arms. But, one way or the other, no little boys or girls — or anyone else for that matter — should ever again be his "possessions."
It would be the ultimate "humanitarian" intervention. But this, you say, would be an unnecessary war prompted by a domestic pressure group? Well, have you ever heard of Haiti? This, you say, would be an intervention that in no way involves U.S. interests? Remember Somalia? This, you
say, would just be removing a obnoxious dictator for getting too much on our nerves? Panama?
The fact is that in the Clinton era, when about a third of U.S. Army can be tied up in the ongoing effort to keep people from throwing snowballs and rocks at each other in the Balkans, there is a very low threshold for American intervention. Essentially, we intervene to stop anything we don't
like. And there's no reason we should like Castro anymore than we did the Haitian junta (of course, many, many people, including the administration, prefer a Communist to a "right-wing" dictatorship--but that's another story).
Castro remains a standing affront to U.S. dignity. He engages in the most vitriolic anti-American rhetoric, 90 miles from our shores. He maintains a continuous threat to swamp the U.S. with thousands of refugees, and makes miserable the lives of 11 million people. Why should his natural death be
the agreed-upon end-point for his regime? In contrast to Haiti, which is still ungovernable, giving Castro the boot would actually improve Cuban political culture.
So, by all means, let's send Elián back to Cuba. But only after the Clinton Administration does some advance work from 15,000 feet. |