Call Cuba to Account

FEBRUARY 27, 2014 4:00 AM



Call Cuba to Account

Obama should implement LIBERTAD as Congress intended.

By Jason Poblete & Yleem Poblete



This week marks the 18th anniversary of the downing of two U.S. civilian

planes by the Cuban military over international waters. On February 24,

1996, Cessnas flown by members of the organization Brothers to the

Rescue were patrolling north of Havana for Cuban refugees, who risked

life and limb at sea in makeshift craft in search of freedom. Cuban

fighter pilots in Russian MiGs encircled the planes and attacked. The

planes disintegrated. Killed were three Americans: Carlos Costa, Armando

Alejandre Jr., and Mario de la Peña, along with U.S. resident Pablo Morales.



The killing of Americans once again brought home the true nature of the

Cuban regime. The political repercussions were felt in Washington, D.C.

Until then, the Clinton administration had thought, as the Obama

administration thinks today, that the U.S. could negotiate with the

Cuban government. But facing the political embarrassment of the downed

aircraft, Clinton reversed course and signed the Cuban Liberty and

Democratic Solidarity Act (LIBERTAD), which had bipartisan support. It

was as far as the Clinton administration was willing to go in taking a

hard line on Cuba.

Implementation of LIBERTAD, also known as Helms-Burton, was haphazard at

best. The air attack was soon forgotten. A mere two years after it, many

had turned their focus to easing sanctions and expanding relations with

Havana. That effort continued despite the arrest of the Wasp network of

Cuban spies in 1998, the expulsions of Cuban "diplomats" for espionage,

and the arrests of Defense Intelligence Agency analyst Ana Belén Montes

in 2001, and, more recently, of State Department officials Kendall and

Gwendolyn Myers for spying for Cuba. These are just the ones we know about.



The trend toward engagement and appeasement of the Cuban dictatorship

has worsened under President Obama. His national-security team has eased

economic sanctions in several key areas without demanding or securing

any concessions whatsoever from Havana. This is backwards. Like Iran and

North Korea, Cuba is a regime that calls for a firm hand, not a velvet

glove.



In his first inaugural address, President Obama said, "To those who

cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of

dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history, but that we

will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist." The

rhetoric does not match up with the action. The Obama administration has

not only given an economic lifeline to this pariah state but also lent

it diplomatic legitimacy. The president chose a widely publicized event

to make his point and shook dictator Raúl Castro's hand. Meanwhile, back

in the island gulag, the crackdown against pro-democracy advocates has

intensified; American citizen Alan Gross was taken hostage in December

2009 and is still being held in a Cuban prison.



U.S. law and policy are supposed to isolate the Cuban government

economically while supporting the Cuban people. Cuba desperately needs

sanctions eased to secure more dollars and access to the global

financial system. The U.S. has an opportunity to leverage that need to

press for true democratic change and advance U.S. interests. The

Helms-Burton law provides a clear roadmap. Easy? No, but not impossible,

if the political will exists.



In LIBERTAD, Congress called on the president to fully enforce, through

the Departments of State and Justice, existing regulations and deny

visas to Cuban nationals who represent or are employees of the Cuban

government or of Cuba's Communist party. Unfortunately, such travel

continues essentially unfettered. The regime uses both diplomatic and

unofficial cover to spy on the United States and make business deals

that contravene U.S. law and policy.



Source: Call Cuba to Account | National Review Online -

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/372085/call-cuba-account-jason-poblete-yleem-poblete