The United States and Cuba: Strands of a Failed Policy
by Mavis Anderson
Latin America Working Group (LAWG)
There is much to say about the long history of our relationship with our island
neighbor, Cuba. A short article cannot do it justice, but it
can point out a few of the difficulties in the relationship that highlight a
policy that doesn't work and is inhumane to both Cubans and Americans. Let's
look at several strands that are emblematic of the whole failed policy and the
rancor with which the United States government (but not the majority of our people)
treats Cuba.
Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba
In late 2003, President Bush initiated a governmental commission to reassess
our country's policy toward Cuba. The report of this commission was accepted
by the President and was instituted as policy in June 2004. The goal of
this policy is isolation, separation, and the denial of resources to the Cuban
government, which heavily impacts the well-being of the Cuban people.
A
few of key provisions that also impact American freedoms are:
Cuban Americans are prohibited from visiting their family
on the island more than once every three years. There is no provision for
emergencies. For example, if a Cuban American visited an ailing mother in Cuba
in 2003, and the mother died in 2005, that Cuban American could not travel to
Cuba to attend her/his mother's funeral — no exceptions. In addition,
our government has defined for Cuban Americans, through this commission, who
constitutes their families. It excludes aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews,
all of whom are considered close family in a Latino culture. The Cuban-American
community is shell-shocked by this regulation of their family life and this very
anti-family-values policy.
Educational exchange and study abroad in Cuba are all
but eliminated. Some
700 U.S. colleges and universities have had U.S. Department of the Treasury licenses
to conduct academic programs in Cuba for their students-a very beneficial thing
for all concerned, and a way for neighboring peoples of two cultures to learn
to know one another — our values, customs, histories, and politics. Now only
a small handful of academic programs are allowed to conduct programs-those who
carry out full-semester (more than 11 weeks) programs to Cuba. Shorter programs
are prohibited — summer courses, interims, and one-two week programs as part
of a larger course of study, etc. Academics and scholars consider this an unacceptable
governmental intrusion into academic freedom.
Cultural exchanges by museums, alumni associations, musicians
and artists, sporting teams, etc., are all eliminated. People-to-people exchanges had already
been prohibited months earlier. These measures keep our peoples apart, prevent
our seeing with our own eyes the real Cuba and the true Cuban, and force U.S.
citizens to depend for our opinions of Cuba on U.S. government proclamations
and political rantings. Yes, Cuba's governmental system is different from ours;
but so are China's and Vietnam's, and we trade with, travel to, and have normal
relations with them. Cuba is the only country in the world to which Americans
cannot freely travel without U.S. government permission — which is regularly
denied.
U.S. Government Interference in Religious Freedom
Though the regulations of religious exchange with Cuba did not change under
the newly-instituted policy, the interpretation has changed. Churches are increasingly
frustrated as they try to visit sisters and brothers of faith (of which there
are many; Cuban churches are filled to overflowing) in Cuba. Many denominations
have had religious travel licenses to visit Cuba and interact with partners for
mutual support, to learn to know them and their circumstances, to bring material
aid, to join Cuban Christians in worship and study. Repeatedly, applications
for renewal of these licenses are being denied, including the license held by
the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for six years.
According to Rev. Tricia Lloyd-Sidle, the PC(USA)'s Liaison for Caribbean
Churches, "The
Presbyterian Church (USA) has a 115-year history of relationship with Presbyterians
in Cuba. That relationship is expressed on a denominational level in a formal
Mutual Mission Agreement between the General Assembly of PC(USA) and the Synod
of the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba. It is also expressed in partnerships
between presbyteries and congregations of the two respective churches. The Presbyterian
Church (U.S.A.) was granted a two-year license by the Office of Foreign Assets
Control in 1999, which was subsequently renewed for another two-year term. In
2003 another two-year license was granted. In July 2005 the PC(USA) application
for a travel license under OFAC's licensing policy 515.560(a) was denied.
The denial letter stated, 'Your application is herby denied because OFAC determined
that Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) does not qualify under 515.566(a) as a religious
organization in accordance with the criteria as described in our /Comprehensive
Guidelines for License Applications to Engage in Travel-Related Transactions
Involving Cuba'." You
may see also Alexa Smith's August 25 article
on this issue for the Presbyterian
News Service.
The PC(USA) is only one of many church bodies suffering from this new governmental
interpretation of who is church. Churches are sharing information and strategies
on how to confront this governmental intrusion into religious freedom and separation
of church and state. Stay tuned.
What's Happening in Congress
For five years, Congress has repeatedly voted in favor of ending the ban on
travel to Cuba-decisively and in a bi-partisan manner. However, under threat
of a presidential veto and through the backroom maneuverings of Republican leadership,
the Cuba provision has always been removed from the final bill, against the will
of the Congress and of the American people (who polls show to support by 70
percent an end to the travel ban and other provisions of the embargo). This,
in a democracy!
This past summer, Cuba amendments impacting Cuban-American family travel and
educational exchange were defeated in the House of Representatives for the first
time. Many members of Congress voted against their previous on-the-record positions
of opening travel. What happened? As constituents, we would like to believe
that our representatives in Washington speak for our opinions rather than for
out-of-state campaign contributors. In June, however, the House demonstrated
how money can influence congressional decision-making.
As documented by www.opensecrets.org, the
U.S.-Cuba Democracy PAC (Political Action Committee), an organization which totes
an "anti-Castro" objective and opposes
any relaxation of restrictions, donated between $1,000 and $5,000 to 111 members
of Congress or candidates in 2004. Of these members, 33 had consistently voted
to lift restrictions on travel to Cuba in previous years. After accepting an
out-of-state campaign donation, however, these 33 members reversed their support
for measures easing the travel ban. It appears that campaign contributions "bought" the
support of representatives who had formerly favored restoring at least some important
relationships with Cubans.
The U.S. Senate has still to vote on the travel provision this year, perhaps
during the fall. A strong majority (probably 60 senators) favor ending the travel
ban, so a "win" is anticipated. No one
is under the illusion, however, that this vote will be turned into law or that
the policy will be changed this year. Continued education of all members
of Congress, Senate and House, is still needed to make the will of the American
people a reality in our laws.
Cuba's Offer of Hurricane Katrina Relief
Just a day after Hurricane Katrina decimated the U.S. Gulf Coast, Cuba offered
to send 1,586 bi-lingual Cuban doctors and 37 tons of medicines and medical equipment
to the devastated areas. They could have been dispatched immediately on Cuban
aircraft, at no cost to the United States. Fort Lauderdale-based Gulfstream
Airways also immediately offered to fly all the doctors to the United States,
free of harge, if there had been any difficulty in sending the doctors on Cuban
aircraft. There was no response from Washington. According to Wayne Smith, former
Chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana, "Given the desperate situation
on the Gulf Coast, one might have expected a rapid response from Washington,
especially as MEDICC (Medical Education Cooperation With Cuba), a nonprofit association
based in Atlanta, described the Cuban doctors as highly trained and noted that
'Cuba's experience and expertise in disaster management is so relevant to the
current crisis and its aftermath in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.' . . . What
a shame. Not even in the face of the massive human suffering caused by Hurricane
Katrina could the Bush Administration put aside its knee-jerk rejection of anything
coming out of Cuba."
In September 2004, Hurricane Ivan, a Category 5 hurricane, battered Cuba with
160-mpr winds. More than 1.5 million Cubans were evacuated to higher ground ahead
of the storm, to sites already well stocked with food, water, medicines, and
doctors. Although the hurricane destroyed 20,000 houses, no one in Cuba
died. After Hurricane Ivan, the UN International Secretariat for Disaster Reduction
cited Cuba as a model for hurricane preparation, saying, "The Cuban way
could easily be applied to other countries with similar economic conditions and
even in countries with greater resources that do not manage to protect their
population as well as Cuba does."
Even Cuban-American Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) responded to the Cuban offer
of medical assistance by saying, "If we need doctors and Cuba offers them
and they provide a good service, then of course we should accept them and we're
grateful for that offer." However, Cold
War tensions have frozen out help from Cuba. What a shame.
What Can You Do?
In light of these outrageous and counterproductive policies, what can U.S.
citizens do? Here are a few suggestions:
- Continue to contact your senators and representative, letting
them know that you, as their constituent, favor
engagement with Cuba and strongly support Americans' right to travel
there — as church people, or for other people-to-people activities.
- Stay informed. Join the Latin America Working Group's
email network (once-a-month updates and alerts) on
U.S. Cuba Policy. Go to our Web site to
register.
- Follow the progress of the government's restriction of U.S. churches involvement
with faith partners in Cuba.
- Educate others.
- Accompany the Cuban people and their government in prayer
and mutual support.
General Assembly
The 205th General Assembly stated that 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:
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. (Minutes, 1997, pp. 588-592)
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