Okay, so yesterday I was a little harsh with respect to the Cuban-American population of south Florida, suggesting they swim back to the island if they didn’t like my idea of rapprochement between Cuba and the United States.
I have to be fair enough to understand what it might be like to be a refugee from your homeland, denied permission to ever go back, and to be estranged from family and friends left behind when you made the decision to make what was likely a somewhat dangerous journey to get to the United States. So I shouldn’t be surprised at all to find that many Cuban expatriates loathe the Cuban government and view it as the author of all that misfortune.
Yesterday I left much of the blame for poor relations at the feet of the United States, sometimes prodded along by the Cuban diaspora. But I have to assign commensurate blame at the feet of the Cuban government as well.
The diplomatic chasm that exists between Cuba and the United States, even after sixty years, is in the best interests of neither nation, yet neither nation seems to have the capacity to compromise enough to bring the two nations closer together. So, in the meantime, Cuba remains a one-party communist state, still fertile ground for Russian mischief, and an economic backwater just ninety miles from Florida’s shores. In short, it’s a failure for both American and Cuban foreign policy and locks in place the status quo that the Cuban expatriate community hates.
It’s time to face facts, though. The Cuban government is not going to be brought down by sanctions and embargoes. Hasn’t worked in sixty years and it’s not going to work now. There will be no armed intervention into Cuba by the United States, just like there hasn’t been for over sixty years, not counting the half-assed pathetic attempt known as the Bay of Pigs fiasco. So, it seems to me anyways, that the only way to bring Cuba into a positive relationship with the United States is for the latter to ease up on sanctions and embargoes, which only hurt the Cuban population and not the government, and engage with the Cuban government with the hope that, over time, Cuba will evolve into a fully-functioning member of the Organization of American States, becoming a partner and ally of the United States.
It is important, though, to look objectively at some of the issues Cuban expats have with the government of their home island.
First, the Cuban government has a long history of political repression and human rights violations. Dissidents and individuals critical of the government have often faced harassment, imprisonment, or exile, with many Cuban expatriates likely experiencing or witnessing these injustices firsthand, or have family members who have, leading to the predictable rise of resentment and mistrust.
As a one-party state, the government of Cuba is controlled by the Communist Party of Cuba. This lack of political pluralism means that opposition parties and alternative political voices aren’t tolerated. Cuban expatriates who value political freedom and democracy may resent the lack of opportunities for political participation and representation in their home country and want to see that changed. That said, though, the maintaining of the status quo isn’t going to change anything in that regard, at least certainly not by itself.
Cuba has faced economic challenges for decades, partly due to a long-standing trade embargo imposed by the United States. This has resulted in limited access to goods, services, and opportunities for its citizens. Many Cuban expatriates left the country seeking better economic prospects and may harbour negative feelings toward the government for perceived mismanagement of the economy. That said, the maintaining of the embargo will do nothing to help this, and it’s the Americans alone who could make a move to lessen the punitive effects of that negative policy.
The Cuban government has strict control over media and information flow, limiting access to independent news sources and promoting state-controlled narratives. Cuban expatriates may feel disillusioned with the government’s control over information and its attempts to shape public opinion. Of course they would, but how are they going to get any changes made? At some point, they’re going to have to drop their guard and give the other side a chance to drop theirs. You can’t work together towards a goal if you’re busy fighting with one another. We need a Mikhail Gorbachev-type moment.
Many Cuban expatriates left their home country to seek better opportunities abroad, leading to family separation and emotional strain. The difficulties of leaving loved ones behind can contribute to negative feelings toward the Cuban government and its policies. Completely understandable. Yet, do they want it to continue like this? Do they just want to sit back and be angry and obstructive? In what way does that help the family and friends left behind? Somebody, for heaven’s sake, has to start showing some good will.
Some Cuban expatriates may hold political, social, or ideological beliefs that clash with the government’s communist principles. These differences can lead to opposition and antipathy toward the government. Still, nobody says Cuban expats have to sacrifice their beliefs. It’s not like the Cuban government has an agenda of Communist rule on a hemispheric basis. Plus, any rapprochement with America puts Cuba at greater risk of becoming more like America, not more like Moscow.
So while I appreciate the very real feelings Cuban-Americans may have towards the Cuban government, we’re kind of at a point here where somebody’s got to blink. To refuse to do so, or to fear the appearance of weakness for reaching out, simply means more of the same in perpetuity, which is good for absolutely nobody.
Except for, maybe, Russia.
NEWSMAGRENFREW 