Editorial - Monday, June 26, 2000Foster Online
We're disappointed in Sen. Bob Smith's myopic views on Cuba after he led the charge last week in the U.S. Senate against a commission to explore how to forge closer ties with the island nation.
Just in case Smith and his colleagues hadn't noticed, the Cold War is over, Castro isn't getting any younger, and cultural diplomacy has already entered a nascent stage. It's time for the United States to stop thumping its chest over Cuba and adopt the world view taken by our hemispheric
neighbors.
What kind of a threat is Cuba with its economy in ruins? How does a Cuban menace exist without a Soviet Union?
The Senate itself had asked an expert on international terrorism if any of the seven countries accused of exporting terrorism had improved its record.
The answer: Cuba.
We believe the push to normalize relations with Cuba may commence in earnest after the presidential election. We doubt if any of the candidates will want repercussions from exile Cubans in Miami until after November.
Fidel Castro has become irrelevant. He has survived as the island's dictator by mastering the shell game and by harshly dispensing with his detractors.
But his time is waning. Castro won't live forever. His death likely will leave a small, struggling nation hungry for reform.
It is in the best interests of the United States to plant a presence now in Cuba and soften the hard political lines. It is in our interests to prepare for the day when the Cuban people will have survived Castro.
©2000 Geo. J. Foster Co. |