Question of Normalization of Relations with Cuba

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The Question of Normalization of Relations with Cuba

27 April 1998

As the United States has abandoned its former policy of containment and tried in vain to establish a new, overreaching approach to foreign policy, its relationship with Cuba has been forced to adapt to the changes. The international arena, especially South America, has watched closely for new developments with Cuba. The Helms-Burton Act, however, ensures that the embargo will not be lifted until Congress has decreed it so, lending unrest to the domestic arena as well. Because Cuba poses a problem in both national and international policy, it is an issue that is well worth dealing with.

Cuba plays a significant role in the United States' foreign policy. It is important to the United States for several reasons The first of these is strategic. Cuba is only ninety miles from the coast of Florida, making it the closest country that the United States does not have formal ties with. Because of its close proximity to the US, many people fear that Fidel Castro's repressive actions may force some of the eleven million people that live in Cuba to migrate to the United States. There are no direct routes to America because ships that dock in Cuba cannot legally dock in an American port until six months after its left Cuban waters. Thus if a sudden migration were to occur, thousands of Cubans would probably die on rafts and the rest would flood into the United States, increasing the flow of immigrants into places that are already overcrowded, many with illegal immigrants.

Security is also a main interest of the United States when dealing with Cuba. It is one of only a handful of nations that the United States recognizes as a terrorist state. In addition, Cuban leader Fidel Castro maintains close ties to other terrorist states, such as Libya, Iran, and North Korea. Past relations have been strained since 1960, when Cuba first became friendly with the former USSR. At the same time, the Cuban government began to expropriate land from American nationals. This was part of a larger problem that led 1300 Cuban exiles and the Central Intelligence Agency to stage a failed coup in 1961 known as the Bay of Pigs. Only a year later, the United States discovered that the USSR had long-range ballistic missiles stationed in Cuba. After United States President John Kennedy instituted a blockade, Russian leader Nikita Khruschev moved the missiles, averting the possibility of nuclear war. Cuba's military also played a role in Nicaragua, Grenada, and Mozambique. Its past ties with the USSR has led the United States to include provisions in the Helms-Burton Act that prohibit any nuclear facility in Cuba. There is a persistent fear that one of the independent states of the former Soviet Union may try to build a nuclear facility in Cuba or use Cuba as a base while gaining intelligence. Any country that is found to be operating a nuclear facility in the country will cease to receive aid from the United States, and the United States will consider cooperation from Cuba as an act of aggression.

The United States is also concerned with Cuba's human rights record. As Assistant Secretary for Inter-American Affairs Jeffrey Davidow said, "The Cuban government actively opposes the aspiration of its people to democracy. It does not permit free elections, it imprisons those who advocate basic liberty, and it works to thwart the development of independent institutions that it cannot dominate and control." The United Nations has also cited Cuba for frequent human rights violations, but their inspectors have been denied entry for the past five years, so no specific data are known.

In light of these interests, the United States has maintained a policy that presses for a peaceful, democratic change. The policy as stated in the Helms-Burton or Libertad Act of 1996 includes maintaining economic pressure through the embargo and Libertad Act; developing a multilateral effort to promote democracy and human rights; supporting the Cuban people in developing civil society and by providing humanitarian assistance; and keeping migration in safe, legal, and orderly channels. According to the Libertad Act, the US government will recognize a Cuban government that is democratically-elected based on free and fair elections, has respect for basic and civil rights, and allows a market-oriented economy that is based on the right to own property.

The United States has tried to pursue this policy by instituting an embargo against Cuba called the Cuban Assets Control Regulations in July of 1963. Under-Secretary for Economic, Agricultural, and Business Affairs Stuart Eizenstat stated that economic sanctions such as the embargo are used for many different purposes, including to change the behavior of the target country, to signal disapproval of a government's behavior, and to demonstrate support for human rights, democracy, and counter-terrorism. There has been a fundamental shift in the motivations of the United States' policy. The embargo was first implemented as part of the Cold War policy of containment as an update of the Monroe Doctrine. The United States did not want Cuba to be a penetration point for the USSR. The goal of the Cuban embargo is to isolate Cuba economically and deprive it of US dollars. The embargo prohibits commerce between the US and Cuba, except for humanitarian goods that have been approved by the US Department of Commerce. Restrictions on food shipments to Cuba were imposed by Congress in the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, and legal remittances were suspended in 1994. The Cuban Democracy Act also prohibited foreign subsidiaries of US companies to trade with Cuba.

The next changes in legislation were made after Cuban jets shot down two civilian airplanes that were flying in international airspace in February 1996, killing all four people on board. The planes were part of Brothers to the Rescue, a relief organization that was rescuing Cuban exiles. Almost immediately after, Congress passed the Helms-Burton Act of 1996, which toughened the embargo, forbade the President form lifting the embargo without the approval of Congress, and called for US trading partners to restrict their trade with Cuba. According to the Cuban Democracy Act, the President and Congress should encourage foreign countries to restrict trade with Cuba and to apply sanctions against countries assisting Cuba. So far, this part of the Act has been suspended by the President in order to gain multilateral support for the embargo. The Libertad Act also reiterated the United States' commitment to stop the admission of Cuba into any international financial institution, including the IMF. In fact, the United States will withhold the same amount of money that any institution grants to Cuba. Also, the United States uses its vote in the Organization of the American States to vote against the termination of the suspension of Cuban membership.

The Pope's visit to Cuba in January of this year marked a change in Castro's interactions with the rest of the world. It was the first visit by any Pope since Castro first took power in 1959 as Prime Minister of Cuba. To plan for the Pope's visit, Cuba opened air space, allowed some media coverage, and allowed Christmas to be observed as a one-time only event. During his visit, the Pope openly criticized the US for continuing its embargo but also condemned Castro for the detainment of political prisoners. Less than three weeks later, more than 200 prisoners were pardoned by the Cuban government for humanitarian reasons as an act of clemency and goodwill.

The repercussions of the Pope's visit are just beginning to be felt. Partly because Castro actually did comply with the Pope's wishes and partly because the Clinton administration sees an opportunity to capitalize on the present popularity of the Catholic Church in Cuba, President Clinton announced in March of 1998 that four steps would be taken to improve conditions for Cubans.

The measures that Clinton has proposed will streamline procedures for sending medical supplies to Cuba, authorizing direct humanitarian flights from the US to Cuba and legalizing remittances from Cuban Americans to their relatives back home. They also urge Congress to ease restrictions on food shipments. By acting now, the administration hopes to strengthen institutions that are beyond Castro's power such as the Catholic Church and other non-government organizations. As one official said, "We have to prepare for the post-Castro era" (Marshall). Some members of Congress feel that the measures will only help Castro and completely undermine the embargo. Others think that the measures are too little help for the financially strapped nation. The biggest opposition comes from Sen. Jesse Helms, who thinks that the president is moving ahead unilaterally instead of waiting for Congressional and bilateral support. The president's office has maintained that these actions are within the president's power.

Fidel Castro has reacted favorably toward to the measures, saying that they seem positive. He added that he thought US and Cuban relations could be improved and that he would do whatever he could. However, the Cuban government has issued statements to the contrary. Cuban Foreign Minister Roberto Robaina said that only an end to the embargo would persuade the government to fully cooperate. The rest of the world appears to be siding with the Cuban government. The United Nations has consistently condemned the US embargo, with only Israel and Uzbekistan voting with the United States in the last vote. Of these two countries, Israel openly trades with Cuba, leaving Uzbekistan as the United States' sole partner in the embargo. The European Union has also condemned the US in 1996 for a law that outlaws foreign investment in Cuba. In fact, the EU considered challenging the law as a serious infringement of GATT, WTO rules, and international law.

Michael Ranneberger, Coordinator of the Office of Cuban Affairs, said that the conditions under which the embargo would be lifted include Cuba allowing political parties to organize, scheduling free elections, releasing political prisoners, and moving toward democracy. The US interests involved in keeping the embargo intact are much more domestic than in years past. There are few positives that would come from ending the embargo while there would be many more negatives. The issue has become a sticking point between liberals and conservatives as liberals are portrayed as Communist sympathizers and conservatives as heartless dictators. Any change in policy would be thwarted by the anti-Cuba, anti-cooperation Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Jesse Helms. The conservative majority fears a backlash if the embargo is softened. President Clinton cannot proceed with normalization of relations without reciprocity from Cuba, and this has been slim to none. Congress has basically refused to accept a Cuba that is not a democracy and that has not given back expropriated land to American nationals. Since neither requirement seem likely to be fulfilled while Castro is alive, Cuba remains an anomaly in foreign policy.�

In my opinion, the administration's most recent actions show a tendency toward a more-involved role in Cuban politics. However, Congress hasn't really supported this new role, and only it can life the embargo. While there has been debate on ending the embargo, it does not seem realistic in the near future, and it seems as though Castro will not normalize relations with the US until the embargo is lifted. From the US point of view, Castro will either have to die or give in to democratic elections to win US support, and that seems equally unlikely. While the new developments may have deviated from the status quo, they do not go so far as to suggest that the government is redefining its policy toward Cuba. In light of this, the United States should maintain the embargo against Cuba while offering humanitarian aid as it does to the rest of the world. The best way to get the people of Cuba to want and fight for a democratically-elected government is to give them a good example in their neighbor, the United States. While the United States is seen as the executioner of Cuban nationalism, the ideas that the United States tries to promote will fall on deaf ears. Castro will eventually die, giving the United States a golden opportunity to redefine its relationship with Cuba. If the people are not receptive to American support when the time for change is ripe, then the opportunity for the United States to have its wish of a democratic Cuba granted will disappear.

Bibliography

Albright, Madeleine K. Opening Remarks on Cuba at Press Briefing, Washington, D.C., March 20, 1998, available at http://secretary.state.gov/www/statements/1998/980320.html, accessed 21 March 1998.

Davidow, Jeffrey. "The U.S. Vision: Cuba and Hemispheric Policy," Remarks to the American Enterprise Institute and Friedrich Hayek University in Washington, D.C., July 28, 1997, available at http://www.state.gov/www/regions/ara/90728_davidow.html, accessed 18 March 1998.

Department of State, Fact Sheet: Papal Visit to Cuba, available at http://www.state.gov/www/regions/ara/fs_pope_to_cuba.html, accessed 24 March 1998.

Department of State, "Support for a Democratic Transition in Cuba: Report to the Congress," available at http://www.state.gov/www/regions/ara/helmbu.html, accessed 24 March 1998.

Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control, "What You Need To Know About the U.S. Embargo," published 18 December 1997.

Eizenstat, Stuart. Remarks Before the North American Committee of the National Policy Association, Washington, D.C., January 7, 1998, available at http://www.state.gov/www/policy_remarks/980107?eizen_policyassoc.html, accessed 16 March 1998.

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Gibson, William and Deborah Ramirez. "A Year Later, Cuban Shootdown of Civilian Pilots Reverberates," South Florida Sun-Sentinel, published February 26, 1996, available at http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/7500.html, accessed 22 March 1998.

Hailer, Vera. "Cuba Freeing 'Dozens' of Prisoners," Washington Post, published February 13, 1998, pA30, available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp~srv/Wplate/1998-02/13/0951-021398-idx.html, accessed 22 March 1998.

Marshall, Tyler. "New Policy on Cuba Will Aim to Aid All but Castro," Los Angeles Times, March 20, 1998, available at http://www.latimes.com/HOME/NEWS/NATION/UPDATES/lat_cuba980320.html accessed 21 March 1998.

Thomas Legislative Information, Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996, available at http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c104:1:./temp/~c104oE3ztL:e12706:, accessed 17 March 1998.

"United Nations Resolution Against the Blockade," Cuba Solidarity, available at http://www.igc.apc.org/cubasoli/blockade.html, accessed 17 March 1998.

"U.S. Law On Cuba Condemned," San Francisco Chronicle News Service, published 15 March 1996, available at http://www.igc.apc.org/cubasoli/blockade.html, accessed 17 March 1998.

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