Bush Administration Tightens Embargo on Cuba

by Catherine Gordon

In December 2003, President Bush named an advisory body, the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba, to review U.S. policy toward Cuba and identify additional steps "by which the United States can help the Cuban people bring about an expeditious end to the Castro dictatorship." 1 On May 6th of this year the Bush Administration announced its intention to adopt the recommendations of the Commission, which include a significant tightening of the U.S. embargo against Cuba — with numerous new restrictions on U.S. citizens' rights — which will have a particularly negative impact on many Cuban Americans.

In response to these actions, the 216th General Assembly called on the U.S. government to reject these new inhumane restrictions that cause undo hardship on ordinary Cuban citizens and restrict the rights of Americans. Many feel that these policies, in addition to harming Cuban Americans and their families, are sacrificing any possibility for a warming of relations with Cuba in order to make short-term domestic political gains.

The violations of human rights in Cuba can be solved through a U.S. government policy of engagement and criticism. This country has no reason to feel threatened by Cuba and should work to resolve the conflict through diplomatic and political means.

The New Policy

The Commission Report's first chapter is the most disturbing. Entitled "Hastening Cuba's Transition," it states that the Commission sought "a more proactive, integrated and disciplined approach to undermine the survival strategies of the Castro regime and contribute to conditions that will help the Cuban people hasten the dictatorship's end."2

To accomplish this goal, the administration is adopting policies to work with Cuban dissidents and other anti-Castro sectors in Cuba, distributing information and U.S.-funded media in Cuba, cutting off financial resources to the Cuban government (by restricting Cuban-American travel), and internationalizing the embargo by carrying out international public education campaigns about Cuba.

The Commission calls for a $29-million increase in support for Cuban dissidents and anti-Castro NGOs in the United States and other countries. Many dissidents, however, are critical of this new policy. The wife of a prominent dissident criticized it recently in an article at salon.com: "Did the Bush administration ask for the opinion of internal dissidents when the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba crafted it report? No. Will the measures hurt Castro's regime? No. Instead, the Cuban people will suffer from the measures." 3

In order to distribute more information — as well as U.S.-funded media in Cuba-the Commission recommended that the U.S. overcome the Cuban jamming of Radio Marti's signal. (Radio and TV Marti are the principal U.S.-media vehicles, which were started in 1985. Their signals are frequently jammed.) The Commission called for the U.S. to send a special aircraft to circle the Cuban coast and broadcast radio and television signals, and for the Bush Administration to spend $18 million on an aircraft for the Office of Cuban Broadcasting.

The measures to cut off resources to the Cuban government are the most drastic and cause the most hardship for Cuban families living in the U.S. and Cuba. In an effort to destabilize the Cuban economy the Commission recommends:

• Tightening the enforcement of travel restrictions by increasing inspections.
• Further restricting educational travel.
• Eliminating the category of "fully hosted travel" — a category which many business groups have used to explore Cuba. (Visitors could travel to Cuba and have their expenses paid by the hosts in Cuba.)
• Tightening minor provisions (including eliminating the $100 worth of goods visitors can bring back from Cuba, eliminating permits to athletes to participate in sporting events, and making it more difficult for private boats to visit Cuba).
• Funneling money to groups in third countries to run campaigns to discourage tourism to Cuba.
• Limiting travel by Cuban Americans to once every three years. The limit now is once per year.
• Ending the general license for periodic Cuban-American travel. A visa would be issued for each trip.
• Narrowing the definition of family, and issuing visas only for visits to immediate family members.
• Limiting Cuban-American donations to relatives in Cuba by putting a weight limit on luggage and limiting what can be sent in gift packages. Clothing, deodorant, and seeds would be banned.
• Limiting the length of stay of family visits to 14 days and the amount that Cuban Americans can spend per day.
• Limiting the amount of money that can be sent to family members in Cuba and to whom the money can be sent. The total amount a person can carry to family members in Cuba is reduced from $3000 to $300. 4

In order to further isolate Cuba and internationalize the embargo the Commission also called for $5 million to be spent to persuade governments of third countries to adopt the U.S. policy of embargo.

Reaction

Many in the Cuban-American community are distressed by these new measures and the strain they cause on their families in Cuba. While the administration was hoping that these measures would rally support among traditionally Republican Cuban Americans, it may have created a backlash. Most embargo supporters are those who fled to the United States from Cuba immediately after the revolution - they no longer have family on the island. It is this population that has been pressuring the Bush Administration to take more drastic steps, as they no longer have family on the island that the measures would affect. A recent poll found that more that 68 percent of Cuban Americans that arrived in the U.S. after 1985-many of whom still have family in Cuba-support unrestricted travel there. 5

On June 9th, in reaction to this new policy, the House of Representatives voted to block the Bush Administration from enforcing some of the new regulations. On an amendment to the Commerce-Justice-State appropriations bill, the House voted 221-194 to reject funding for the Commerce Department's sections of the new Cuba restrictions. The regulations under this department include limiting the amount of luggage travelers can carry to Cuba (to 44 pounds) and limiting the items that Cuban Americans can send in gift packages to their relatives. It is largely a symbolic gesture but still important. The Senate has not taken up this issue and it may be taken out during conference on the bill. Last year both the Senate and House voted to lift the travel ban to Cuba, but it was taken out of the bill by Republican leadership during conference.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Treasury Department is the agency in charge of enforcing the embargo on Cuba. They have issued these new rules in "interim" form, with the final version of the rules to be made publicly available by September 14. OFAC is currently accepting comments (until August 16) that will be considered in the development of final regulations. Though it is unlikely that the current regulations will be changed, it is important that they hear the objections to these new rules. Please send comments to www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/comment.html.

General Assembly

The 216th General Assembly (2004) called upon the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Treasury Department to rescind new regulations published in the June 16, 2004, Federal Register and permit travel to Cuba.

From Previous General Assemblies

Whereas, United States' efforts to bring about political change in Cuba through punitive economic sanctions have largely failed and resulted in both hardship for the Cuban people and resentment among numerous friendly governments around the world; and

Whereas, calls by the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to lift the U.S. embargo and normalize relations over the years (1969, 1972, 1977, 1982, 1990, 1993) have gone unheeded; therefore, be it* resolved, that the General Assembly do the following:

• Renew the call upon the United States government to initiate negotiations with the Cuban government toward the end of reestablishing full diplomatic relations.
• Renew the call on the United States government to end the economic sanctions that it has imposed on Cuba, and to respect the opinion of the world community in this matter.
• Call upon the United States to encourage economic investment in Cuba for assisting the Cuban people's efforts to build a just society, and to do so in ways that respect the dignity of the Cuban people and their right to self-government.
• Encourage presbyteries and Presbyterians to seek to be peacemakers by building relations with Cuba through visits, church-to-church exchanges, provision of humanitarian needs, study, and advocacy of positions recommended by the General Assembly. (Minutes, 1997, Part I, pp. 588-592)