The announcement came as a welcome surprise to millions around the world who have long awaited a major change in US policy towards Cuba. In simultaneous broadcasts, presidents Raul Castro and Barack Obama bridged the painful, unjustified and well-outdated gap that has tormented both nations for over half a century. In a matter of sentences, relief came to the many Cubans, at home and abroad, Latin Americans region-wide, and people across the US and world who cheered at the declared thaw in US-Cuba relations. After more than 50 years, the heads of state of both countries spoke on the telephone and agreed to reestablish diplomatic ties. The US would open its Embassy in Havana, and Cuba would do the same in Washington. It was a major breakthrough, to say the least.
It was Castro
who was quick to remind his fellow citizens that, while applauding the decision
of the first standing US president to actually improve ties with Cuba, the
vicious blockade imposed against his nation by Washington still remains. Obama
was also cautious to mention that though there were concrete actions he could
take towards normalizing relations with Cuba, it was the US Congress that had
the authority to end the blockade, and not him. He did urge Congress to take
those steps, while lashing out a few patronizing admonitions at Castro
regarding democracy and human rights.
Without a
doubt, one of the most important victories of the deal was the release of the
three remaining Cuban citizens, Gerardo Hernández, Ramón Labañino and Antonio
Guerrero, unjustly held in US prisons for 16 years on charges of espionage and
other crimes. Even the United Nations Commission on Human Rights had condemned
their trial as arbitrary and unfair, their due process and fundamental rights
severely violated. These men were finally able to return home to a hero’s
welcome, after an agreement was brokered between the two governments that also
saw the return of a USAID subcontractor convicted on charges of subversion in
Cuba, Alan Gross, and a Cuban citizen and former intelligence officer, Rolando
Sarraff Trujillo, jailed for working as a double agent for the US Central
Intelligence Agency.
There is no
question that this event marks a profound change in US-Cuba relations and US
relations with Latin America. And it is a major victory for the Cuban
Revolution, Fidel and Raul Castro and the Cuban people. Over the past fifteen
years, Washington has lost its influence in Latin America and the region has
shifted significantly towards the left with socialist presidents in a majority
of countries and new regional organizations that exclude the United States and
Canada. With the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the Bolivarian
Alliance of the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) and the Community of Latin
American and Caribbean States (CELAC), Latin America has become more
integrated, sovereign, independent and powerful than ever before. The region
has forged relations with China, Russia, Iran and other sovereign states with
strong markets and technological know-how. Development has excelled and with
few exceptions, Latin American economies are on the rise. All this has been achieved
without the United States.
In response,
Washington amped up its interference in the region, supporting coups and
attempted coups against democratically-elected presidents in Venezuela, Haiti,
Bolivia, Honduras, Ecuador and Paraguay, increasing its military presence in
the hemisphere and intensifying subversive efforts to undermine Latin American
governments through multimillion-dollar funding of opposition movements. Those
actions isolated Washington even more in the region and were rejected
unanimously by all Latin American governments, even those on the right. A
growing sentiment of “Patria Grande” (The Great Homeland) has taken root in the
region and only appears to get stronger every year.
When Obama was
elected president and first attended a Summit of the Americas regional
gathering in Trinidad in 2009, he promised a new relationship with Latin
America, based on regaining US influence in the region. He either ignored or
ignorantly misunderstood the changes that had taken place throughout Latin
America and had the gall to stand before 33 heads of state and high-level
representatives of regional governments and tell them to “forget the past” and
move forward together with the United States towards new relations. His
arrogant rhetoric reminded the people of Latin America the importance of
consolidating and advancing their sovereignty and integration on their own
terms. At that summit, a majority of nations, with the exception of the US and
Canada, condemned the fact that Cuba continued to be excluded from the
Organization of American States solely because of Washington’s influence. In
2012, at the next Summit of the Americas, President Rafael Correa of Ecuador
refused to attend in a sign of solidarity with Cuba. “Ecuador won’t be a part of
these summits until Cuba is included”, he made clear.
A few months
ago, well before Obama and Castro announced efforts to normalize relations, the
government of Panama had made public that Cuba would be invited to the 2015 Summit
of the Americas, which it will host. Cuba has indicated it would attend. This
decision was clearly a sign that Washington’s influence no longer reigned in
Latin America - even the regional organization created by Washington to
dominate and control the region was now rendered irrelevant.
Nevertheless, Obama’s
move on Cuba was not without immediate consequence. While there is no question
that the decision to reestablish diplomatic relations, along with the release
of the remaining three of the five unjustly detained Cubans, is an enormous,
historical victory for the Cuban Revolution, and a tribute to the resistance,
dignity and solidarity of the Cuban people, Obama’s motives are not pure.
The day after a
well-crafted presidential speech on how US policy has failed in Cuba, which
acknowledged the blockade and economic embargo of Cuba had been a fiasco, Obama
signed bills imposing sanctions on both Venezuela and Russia. There is little
doubt that the sanctions bill against Venezuela, an absurd law titled the
Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014, was signed by
Obama to appease the small, but influential group of rabidly anti-Castro,
anti-Chavez and anti-Maduro politicians and constituents in Miami who were
steaming with rage from the shift on Cuba.
The Venezuelan
sanctions bill is rather ludicrous. It purports to punish officials in
Venezuela who allegedly violated the human rights of anti-government protestors
in demonstrations that took place in February 2014. Considering that the
majority of those protests were extremely violent and protestors directly
caused the deaths of over 40 individuals, most of whom were government
supporters, bystanders and state security forces, imposing sanctions on state
officials who exercised their duty to protect civilians is illogical. Even more
ironic is the passage of this bill while hundreds of protestors against police
brutality and racism are being detained and having their rights violated in the
United States, at the hands of US authorities. Not to mention that the same
Senate that promoted this bill just released an in depth report on torture and
grave human rights violations committed by CIA and US military officers.
The sanctions
bill against Venezuela goes beyond freezing the assets of a few Venezuelan
government officials and revoking their visas. It reaffirms the US government
commitment to supporting - financially and politically - the anti-government
movement in Venezuela which acts beyond a democratic framework, and it
authorizes the preparation of a full-on propaganda war against the Venezuelan
government. All of this is reminiscent of the very same failed policy on Cuba that
Obama just renounced. So why impose the same on Venezuela?
Appeasing the
community in Miami is a major reason. But Obama also needs the change in Cuba
policy to save his withering legacy. As the first black president in the United
States, Obama expected his legacy to be the end of racial tensions and
institutionalized racism in the country. However, the opposite has occurred
during his administration. Racial tensions are at an all-time high. Mass
protests have erupted nationwide against police brutality in black communities
and the injustice blacks face in the US legal system. Racial crimes have increased
and people are angry. The “change” Obama promised hasn’t come and he won’t be
forgiven for his failure to deliver.
Obama’s healthcare reform has made a mediocre impact and still faces serious threats from a Republican Congress, which has returned to power in full force, winning majorities in both houses thanks to a disgruntled democratic base. While making some executive decisions on immigration, Obama has failed to pass sweeping immigration reform and probably never will after losing democrat seats in the legislature. Though he did withdraw US troops from Iraq as promised, another terrorist group took over significant parts of that country, rendering US operations and billion-dollar investment in bringing democracy to Iraq practically useless. As for Afghanistan, Obama increased US military presence and brought the total war budget well over one billion dollars, making it the longest US military conflict and one of the most costly. He’s brought more war to Pakistan, Yemen and Africa, and destroyed Libya, while later funding and arming warlords and terrorists in Syria to demolish that country too. And to top it all off, Obama has rekindled the Cold War with Russia.
Overall,
Obama’s legacy leaves nothing to be desired. He’s failed at home and brought havoc
abroad, and Cuba is his savior. Now Obama will be remembered in history as the
president who ended the most dysfunctional, damaging and pointless US foreign
policy ever. He’ll be recalled for bridging ties not just with Cuba, but with
all of Latin America, which would be very noble and legacy-worthy if it were
true.
Cuba hasn’t
been a real threat to the United States - if it ever was - for a very long
time. But Venezuela, because of its vast oil reserves, is. The US needs to
control Venezuela’s 300 billion barrels of oil in order to guarantee its
long-term survival, and without a subservient government in power, that’s not
possible. US policy on Venezuela has been the same since Hugo Chavez was first
elected in 1998 and refused to bow to US interests: destroy the Bolivarian
Revolution and remove him from power. The same policy is in effect against the
government of Nicolas Maduro.
By attempting
to isolate both Venezuela and Russia with sanctions and cripple their
economies, Washington believes it will succeed in stifling Russia’s expanding
relations with Latin America and neutralize Venezuela’s regional influence. The
plan is to step in and fill the void with US financial and political clout. And
Washington thinks that by reaching out to Cuba, the rest of Latin America will
be seduced enough to welcome back US domination.
Cuba may be
Obama’s lifejacket, but the ship has sailed. Latin American nations have
overwhelmingly condemned US sanctions on Venezuela and called for them to be
rolled back. Obama may think he can sacrifice Venezuela in order to save his
legacy by engaging with Cuba and closing ranks in the hemisphere, but he’s
wrong. The same solidarity that Latin American nations expressed to Cuba for
over 50 years is also present for Venezuela. La Patria Grande won’t be fooled
by US double standards anymore. Latin America has long expressed its desire for
a mature, respectful relationship with Washington. Will the US ever be capable
of the same?