In the aftermath of September 11, United States foreign policy shifted radically to the right. President Bush has declared an unending "War on Terror," with no clearly defined guidelines or objectives save for those that Bush declares. In an attempt to establish U.S. unilateralism, the U.S. has set about to target any nation that has dared to oppose U.S. policy, both economic and regarding the "War on Terror." The latest target of this campaign has been Cuba.
In order to step up the U.S. attack on Cuba, the Bush administration is making the ridiculous claim that Cuba is a terrorist state. In his speech entitled "Beyond the Axis of Evil," Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security John Bolton declared that Cuba has been developing biological weapons and sharing them with nations hostile to the U.S. Bolton did not substantiate this declaration with any proof, because there is none. Rather, he merely pointed out that Cuba has an advanced biomedical industry, and that Cuban President Fidel Castro had visited Iran, Syria, and Libya. The U.S. has declared these three nations, along with Cuba, North Korea, and Iraq, to be "rogue nations," supporting terrorism.
While it is true that Cuba has an advanced biomedical industry, part of the advanced system of free universal healthcare that Cuba prides itself on, the accusation that Cuba is producing and selling biological weapons is an outright lie. Previous U.S. State Department documents state that Cuba poses no military or security threat to the U.S. Bolton claimed that the Clinton administration could not be trusted on the issue of Cuba, as it had been infiltrated by Cuban spies. Bolton has also fabricated quotes by Castro, claiming that while Castro was in Tehran he claimed that "Iran and Cuba, in cooperation with each other, can bring America to its knees. The U.S. regime is very weak, and we are witnessing this weakness from close-up."
As part of the 2nd U.S./Cuba Youth Exchange that I attended in 2001, many young people visited a Cuban biotech facility. The delegation was broken up into small groups, and each group received a tour of a different part of the facility. The site seemed like any scientific or medical research facility, and was not militarized at all. It is simply absurd to think that having world-class hospitals and research labs make a nation a terrorist state! In fact the State Department now admits that Cuba merely has the capacity to develop biotechnology weapons, but has no intention of doing so.
It is no coincidence these baseless accusations by the U.S. State Department came just prior to former President Jimmy Carter's trip to the island nation. Carter became the first U.S. President to visit Cuba since the revolution in 1959. On the official part of his six-day tour he visited health research centers, farms, the Latin American Medical School, the new Social Workers School, the Solidaridad con Panamá School for disabled children, and the University of Havana, making several speaking appearances. Carter also met with organizers of the Varela Project, a U.S. backed counter revolutionary movement that supports capitalist restoration. Although controversial, none of these met with resistance from Cuban authorities.
Carter's trip to Cuba was a positive development, despite Carter's shortcomings, criticisms of Cuba's political system, and support of the U.S. backed anti-Castro movement. His visit directly benefited the Cuban people in their struggle to end the illegal and inhuman economic blockade of their nation by generating media attention around the issue. Carter expressed his opposition to the blockade, and expressed hope that the people of both countries could work together to normalize relations. He praised the quality of Cuba's healthcare and educational systems, and contrasted them to the harsh realities that the U.S. people face.
However, upon Carter's return to the U.S., the Bush administration reaffirmed its hard-line stance on Cuba. It has repeatedly threatened to tighten restrictions on Cuba, including travel restrictions on U.S. citizens. In the face of increasing support of normalized relations with Cuba, and growing opposition to the blockade, Bush is pursuing a policy of aggression.
To understand the scope of the Bush administration's campaign against Cuba, it is important to consider the people who shape and carry out U.S. foreign policy. The list of State Department officials under the Bush administration is a who's who of anti-Cuban extremists. Otto Reich, the son of Cuban-Americans who fled the island in order to save their fortune, is now the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere. Not only is Reich a staunch opponent of Cuban socialism, he was complicit in the 1976 terrorist bombing of a Cuban airliner that killed all 73 passengers and crew aboard the ship. His nomination by Bush in the midst of a so-called "War on Terror" is part of the administration's pandering to the right-wing Cuban-American "Miami Mafia."
Cuba is a truly democratic nation. In every level of the Cuban government, from the Unions to the position of the President, Cubans elect their leaders, as well as directly participate in decisions on the direction of their government. In their effort to build a new society, the Cuban people have placed a great deal of emphasis on providing all of Cuba's citizens with free, quality healthcare.
Currently, Cuba is training students from across the world to become doctors, free of charge. They have more doctors stationed across the world than the World Health Organization. Cuba is leading the fight against what Fidel Castro describes as a form of terrorism; allowing people to die from curable diseases in the name of profit. It is supremely hypocritical for Bush to level charges against Cuba in the midst of Washington's campaign of secrecy, which has withheld important information from the American people in the name of the broadening term "National Security."
Brandon Slattery is Chair of the Pratt Institute YCL club and is a member of the YCL National Council
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