Published Wednesday, December 20, 2000, in the
Miami Herald
Barring the unexpected, George W. Bush will be the 10th U.S. president to
inherit Fidel Castro as a neighbor. Already some Cuba analysts predict a
hardening of U.S. policy. Yet many in Congress, notably pro-trade Republicans
and liberal Democrats, will no doubt push for lifting the trade embargo.
Realistically, however, the new Bush administration would do best to stay
the course. That means continuing the people-to-people exchanges of the past
several years while maintaining the trade sanctions. Bush also should pressure
Cuba for improved human rights and a transition to democracy.
Cuba relations should no longer be viewed through a Cold War prism. Russian
President Vladimir Putin's recent visit to Cuba, and his refusal to criticize
America, makes clear that such a view is outmoded.
Nor should the U.S. embargo be wielded as a blunt instrument. The current
cultural, sports, academic exchanges should be promoted. They expose Cubans to
new information and lessen the fear of change. Family visits do the same,
perhaps more powerfully. We believe all travel restrictions on U.S. citizens
should be lifted. Ultimately the goodwill reaped from such human contact
improves the chances for peaceful transition.
Critics inaccurately assail the U.S. trade embargo as a failure because the
regime remains in place. But by that measure, Canadian and European
``engagement'' also would be considered failures because they haven't led to
human rights or democracy. Worse, by not including required codes of business
conduct, engagement polices have strengthened the regime's ability to repress.
Foreign investors not only don't press for labor rights, but become partners
with the regime in exploiting Cuban workers.
That's why U.S. trade and investment sanctions should remain. It's also why
Bush should refrain from implementing the extra-territorial provisions of the
Helms-Burton law. Unless waived, Title III would allow U.S. citizens or
companies to sue foreign ventures using confiscated property in Cuba.
Such provisions have antagonized the European Union to the point that
international complaints about the U.S. embargo drown out condemnations of
Cuba's police state. The best policy is when the United States and allies press
the Cuban regime for change.
Copyright 2000 Miami Herald | 