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For
coherent Cuba policy
Posted on Sun, Aug. 17, 2003 in
The
Miami Herald.
President Bush has been distracted
The boisterous debate over the policies of the
Bush administration toward Cuba should come as
no surprise. The Cuban exile community is diverse,
mature and increasingly sophisticated. It speaks
with -- and has room for -- a variety of distinct
voices. As long as no single group or person can
claim the right to speak for all, robust debate
is to be expected -- and encouraged.
There is little doubt, as well, that our country's
Cuba policy has suffered from inattention. This
is due both to the Bush administration's focus
on the war against terrorism and to the politics
that kept anyone from being confirmed for the
post of assistant secretary of state for Western
Hemisphere affairs for five years. The recent
confirmation of Roger Noriega should go a long
way toward solving the latter problem.
BUSH: NO CHANGE
Mr. Noriega should be aware that, while the debate
in the Cuban-American community reflects understandable
political differences of opinion among leaders
and groups who feel passionately about Cuba, it
also reflects genuine disappointment over several
issues. These include recent episodes that resulted
in the return of Cubans stopped on the high seas
by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Spokesmen for candidate George W. Bush encouraged
the idea that he would review all Cuba policies
once in office, immigration among them. In fairness
to the president, however, it must be pointed
out that during a campaign stop in Palm Beach
on Sept. 11, 2000 -- exactly one year before the
9/11 tragedies -- he said this about the immigration
policy in place under President Clinton: ''As
I sit here right now, I wouldn't change the policy.''
That was reported on the front page of this newspaper
and in other papers across the state.
While the debate continues, no one should be
confused over the objectives of a strong, effective
Cuba policy: To secure the release of political
prisoners, or, at a bare minimum, an improvement
in their living conditions; to create greater
political freedom on the island, particularly
for genuine dissidents toiling in the shadow of
tyranny; to encourage orderly, safe, legal emigration
from Cuba; to encourage the international community
to acknowledge the dictatorial nature of the Cuban
government and act accordingly; and to pave the
way for democracy in a post-Castro Cuba.
All of this has policy implications. Every effort
should be made to ensure that no one with credible
asylum claims is returned to Cuba. This means
opening the interdiction process to the public
and allowing attorneys access to those Cubans
stopped at sea. Streamlining the process of issuing
the 20,000 visas granted to Cubans annually would
decrease the backlog and get more Cubans into
the pipeline of legal immigrants.
In terms of getting the message of freedom to
people in Cuba, Radio and TV Martí should
be improved; if the technology exists to overcome
jamming from Cuba, put it into place. Another
strong signal that Washington understands the
concerns of the exile community would involve
action against those responsible for the Brothers
to the Rescue ambush in 1996. Indicting the Cuban
MiG pilots who shot down four unarmed Cuban Americans
in an act of cold-blooded murder would be a good
beginning.
BROAD SUPPORT NEEDED
Diplomatic efforts should focus on supporting
island dissidents and their democracy-building
efforts. The Cuban regime generated well-earned
outrage from the European Union and others with
its vicious crackdown on dissidents this spring.
The United States needs to better collaborate
with like-minded allies in pressuring the Cuban
regime to free its political prisoners and in
pushing for human rights and political freedoms.
U.S. diplomats also should press Latin American
and Caribbean governments to take off kid gloves
when it comes to Fidel Castro. The region's leaders
who support human rights should not roll out the
red carpet but treat Castro as the tyrant that
he is.
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