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U.S. Normalization Of Relationship With Cuba

By Rupert Johnson

President Obama should be complimented for his bold move with regard to the normalization of relationship with the Cuban government. His face to face meeting with the current Cuban President, Raul Castro at the Summit of the Americas in Panama was very promising and forward looking. Obama’s removal of Cuba from the list of Sponsors of Terrorism is correct in that there is no tangible evidence the Cuba has been engaged in the spread of terrorism.

The next step should be the total removal of harsh economic sanctions. For over 50 years Cuba has been subjected to punishing economic sanctions imposed by the combined American Administration. These sanctions were supposed to bring Cuba to her knees. They were designed to punish the Cuban population to such an extent that they would take out their collective frustration on the government, thus leading to the demise of the Castro regime.

In 1960, this infamous policy was first propounded by Eisenhower, a former U.S. President, who stated that “if [Cubans] are hungry, they will throw Castro out,” President Kennedy later concurred with this statement in saying that the economic embargo would bring about the fall of Castro due to “rising discomfort among hungry Cubans.”

But it is quite clear that after 50 plus years these punitive sanctions have had little or no effect. As a matter of fact they have helped Cubans to become more self-reliant. Of course the old Washington guards with their exiled Cuban cohorts are still adamant that economic sanctions will eventually bring down the Cuban regime.

It is obvious that these diehard reactionaries in Washington would like a return to the brutal dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista who was the protector of American interests in Cuba. But progressive Americans must remember that Batista established an unprecedented reign of terror for about 25 years.

Under his tyrannical rule the rich and powerful wallowed in the ever-increasing abundance of their wealth, while the burgeoning mass of the poor and powerless sank deeper and deeper into the cavernous abyss of abject poverty and utter despair.

While the rich and famous lived and reclined in palatial mansions, the wretched of the earth spent long agonizing hours in hut-like dwellings. While the affluent and their offspring enjoyed the best educational facilities and health care services in Cuba, the impoverished masses were utterly deprived of these opportunities.

Indeed, Cuba was a society in decay, badly tarnished with overt prostitution, contaminated with criminal elements, and bedeviled with the deep-seated evils of casino gambling. In a nutshell, this is the type of decadent, failed society that Fidel Castro inherited in 1959.

Thanks to the strong resolve of Castro and his supporters, the refuse of prostitution and criminality, and the pungent stench of general immorality and depravity have been contained. Thanks to Castro, there are no parasitic millionaires to suck the life-blood out of the poor and downtrodden.

The Cuban people may not enjoy all the economic trappings of middle-class Americans and Canadians, but by all accounts the vast majority of the people are better housed, better educated and better off health-wise than ever before.

It is well documented that Cuba has one of the highest literacy rates in the world because of its totally free and efficient educational policy. It is also well documented that Cuba has an ample supply of well-trained and qualified doctors and nurses, and a wide array of excellent health care services—all free of cost. It is indeed noteworthy that no Cuban is ever denied medical care on the basis of his or her economic means.

It is therefore time that the economic embargo be lifted so as to establish normal relationship with Cuba. I firmly believe that the majority of American and Cuban people would welcome this new relationship with open arms. I also firmly believe that this normalization of relationship will precipitate the move towards democracy and freedoms in Cuba.

Rupert Johnson can be reached at: r.b.johnson@sympatico.ca.

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