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Don't neglect Radio and
TV Martí
By Frank Calzon, www.cubacenter.org.
Posted on Mon, Mar. 28, 2005 in The
Miami Herald.
Policy on Cuba has been a low priority
in Washington for years. With the war on
terrorism, the North Korean nuclear threat
and the Israeli-Palestinian situation, the
island and Latin America as a whole have
been relegated to the back burner.
But how much political capital and precious
time, should President Bush spend on Cuba?
Just how important is Fidel Castro's regime?
Many of Washington's entrenched bureaucrats
dismiss Castro as merely a nuisance. They
ignore history and Castro's role in building
the international anti-American coalition,
which now includes the vociferous Hugo Chávez
of Venezuela. So, here's another question:
What would the relationship between Washington
and Caracas be today if a democratically
elected government ruled in Cuba?
The State Department consistently underestimates
Castro and fails to exploit his fundamental
weaknesses. The neglect of TV Martí
is one example. Until Bush ordered an aircraft
to serve as a broadcasting platform, transmissions
by the broadcast service couldn't be received
in Cuba at all. The Bush-ordered tests showed
that TV Martí could be received in
parts of Cuba. Now the issue is a legal
one: Will the White House issue the necessary
finding to allow broadcasts from international
airspace to Cuba?
Castro has been a security problem for
Washington since 1962, when he urged Khrushchev
to fire his nuclear missiles at the United
States. Following that missile crisis, Havana
began training terrorists, among them the
infamous ''Carlos the Jackal.'' Even today,
Castro harbors U.S. fugitives, including
killers of American police officers. With
Bush in charge, Castro has become more cautious;
however, he still takes every opportunity
to squeeze the United States.
Signs of weakness
Bush's father, too, stood up to Castro;
so did President Reagan. It is the bureaucracy
that appears no more knowledgeable about
Castro than it was in 1980 and 1994 when
he was unleashing waves of desperate refugees.
Fearing failure, the bureaucracy argues
against ''provoking'' Castro and counsels
minimal responses to his threats in lieu
of bold initiatives to support democratic
change in Cuba. Contrast that with Bush's
recognition that democracies play a key
role in the fight against terrorism and
his keen awareness that rogue states and
terrorists watch for signs of weakness that
can be exploited.
It took the intervention of Reagan to get
Radio Martí up and broadcasting,
and it took the elder President Bush to
get TV Martí on the air. Castro clearly
fears the impact of these uncensored broadcasts
and routinely jams them. To be as effective
as Castro fears, these broadcasts must be
seen and heard by the Cuban people. So again,
Bush must intervene and clear the way to
use the right technologies and effective
broadcast platforms.
Castro's designs
The president has expressed strong support
for TV and Radio Martí. He has shown
repeatedly that he is unwilling to ignore
problems previously swept under the rugs
of Washington's bureaucracy. Alerted to
the danger of Castro's designs on this hemisphere
and the options available to counter Castro's
threats, the president might well conclude
that neglecting Cuba and Latin America is
not in the best interest of the United States.
With relatively moderate expenditures and
a little risk-taking, the president can
use TV and Radio Martí to foster
democratic reform in Cuba -- with no loss
of American lives. He has the authority
to turn the stations on, keep them on and
ensure the sights and sounds of freedom
are clearly seen and heard in Cuba. Let
him do it.
Frank Calzón is
the executive director of the Center for
a Free Cuba in Washington, D.C.
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