by Danielle Skloven
Throngs of protestors turned out for marches in cities around the world (includingLos Angeles) last weekend to draw attention to the plight of political dissidents in Cuba. These demonstrations followed an event on Thursday of last week in Miami attended by tens of thousands and led by Cuban-American musician Gloria Estefan.
The protests were spurred by an incident that took place a week ago in Havana. Cuban security forces attacked the so-called "Ladies in White"--mothers, daughters, and wives of political prisoners--and dragged them off the streets into awaiting vans. The Ladies were walking silently holding flowers as they do each year to commemorate the anniversary of "Black Spring," the day the Cuban government jailed 75 human rights activists.
Will the increased level of clamor from abroad push Cuban leadership to rethink its policy? Not likely. Although Obama openly condemned the regime's repressive tactics last week, only time will tell whether or not these words are supported by substantive deeds. Earlier in his term, Obama hinted at a rapprochement with Havana by easing restrictions on Cuban-American travel to the island and initiating talks on migration issues and resumption of direct mail service. Obama's stick-and-carrot strategy of relaxing some policies while maintaining a message of disapproval for Cuba's human rights record has failed to engage leaders in Cuba.
Raul Castro has repeatedly attacked Washington for its (often secret) support of Cuban dissidents, labeling the U.S an imperialist force bent of regaining control over Cuba. Such imagery finds sympathy in the hearts of many Cubans, who easily recall American military forays into various Caribbean nations throughout the twentieth century. Meanwhile, it is widely recognized that the State Department funds opposition groups within Cuba and in Miami--a constant stick in the eye of the Cuban Communist party.
The recent death of a dissident after a prolonged hunger strike illustrates the unwavering obstinacy of the Cuban government to give in to pressure -- either internal or external. Rather than provoking the ire of the regime through inflammatory Martí broadcasts (which are mostly blocked by the Cuban government and thus a drain on U.S. funding) and pro-democracy leaflets, U.S. efforts should be focused on providing basic needs to the Cuban people - not political ideology.
By offering the citizens of Cuba much-needed medical supplies, food, and other necessities, the U.S. will be implicitly illustrating the merits of democracy. Furthermore, such policies would undermine Cuban officials' constant effort to vilify the U.S. as the source of the island nation's woes.
If the current tension in Washington-Havana relations can be lowered, the possibility of allowing American tourists back on the island may ultimately become a reality. In November, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Richard Lugar (R-IN) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) drafted a bipartisan Senate bill calling for an end to the ban on Americans traveling to Cuba. If such a policy became law, people-to-people contacts between the two nations would increase exponentially. Ordinary American citizens are often the most effective ambassadors, and such contact would do much to eliminate distrust between the two nations.
Danielle Skloven is in her second year of the Masters of Public Diplomacy program. She has worked in international advertising and PR as well as with the World Trade Center-LA. Danielle received a BA of International Relations from USC as well.
http://blogs.uscannenberg.org/neontommy/2010/03/a-policy-for-the-cuban-people.html
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