This year, I visited Cuba twice. I’ve always felt a certain attraction to the island, perhaps because my grandmother was Cuban, from Caibarién. To be frank, my initial feelings during the first days were one of absolute dismay: confronted by the conscious decision of the civilized world to ignore the dire freedom situation of 11 million Cubans, who have had to endure a brutal dictatorship for half a century, along with the world’s indifference. I often wondered why, and I couldn’t satisfy my discomfort. What have Cubans done to deserve such ostracism? It’s as if they don’t exist, as if their voices don’t matter, as if for some cruel and twisted reason they belong to an inhumane category, whose rights can be neglected and violated with total impunity. Human rights defenders around the globe cannot help but rightfully criticize the United States for violating due process and the rights of detainees in Guantánamo Bay. However, there isn’t a single word of criticism about what happens in the many prisons of Castro. The approximately 100,000 Cuban prisoners, political and otherwise, can only dream of the quality of drinking water provided to prisoners in Guantánamo. Representatives from the Red Cross, for example, cannot step foot in Cuban prisons.
The embargo has provided Castro with the perfect excuse to maintain his repressive dictatorship and gain considerable international sympathy, at a time when anti-American sentiment is growing worldwide. The fact that 135 countries voted in favor of electing Cuba to the UN Human Rights Council in 2006 shows how successful Castro’s “foreign policy” has been in leveraging the deep-seated resentment against the United States.
This multipurpose formula of blaming the U.S. has shielded the communist tyrant from criticism. Add continuous propaganda with an effective information blackout that works both ways, and the end result is, internally, a population that largely ignores its inalienable rights; externally, an international community unaware of what is happening and reluctant to listen to perfectly legitimate criticism of the world’s favorite dictator. It’s a tragedy of monumental proportions, a humanitarian crisis, but everyone acts as if nothing is happening in Cuba.
The embargo imposed by the United States should be lifted for a number of reasons, the most important being that its supposed purpose—of isolating Castro and diminishing his international maneuverability—has been a total and complete failure. Contrary to what Americans initially thought, the measure has greatly empowered Castro and provided him with the perfect cover to present himself as the underdog: the brave David who keeps laughing in Goliath’s face. It is an incredibly cruel manifestation of a policy that, instead of harming its target, ended up being used as the scapegoat for all of Cuba’s problems, as propaganda outlets and useful idiots have claimed since it became law. The collateral damage in this case amounts to 11 million victims, a humanitarian cost too high to sustain. The stubbornness and unwillingness of the American political establishment to accept its failure is no longer a valid excuse, especially considering the growing trade between the two countries.
The impressions of Cubans in Cuba are entirely different from those of the expatriate community, primarily centered in Miami. Many people I spoke to in Cuba—not just ordinary citizens but also opposition leaders and members of civil society—consider it appropriate to lift the embargo immediately. In fact, Oswaldo Payá, Marta Beatriz Roque, and Vladimiro Roca, for example, have stated that the embargo should be lifted. Present this thought to the expatriate community, however, or to the Republican establishment, and one quickly becomes a pro-Castro communist, Che-loving sympathizer in a matter of milliseconds. In this regard, I believe it is quite easy to hold such opinions without having to endure every minute of the day the supposed consequences.
If the carpet of the embargo is pulled from under Castro’s feet, Cubans will begin to think, “Wait a minute, how have we suffered through this tremendous ordeal because of the embargo only to find it lifted and still live in hell?” It’s likely that current unrest will spread like wildfire.
The United States now has a historic opportunity: to ask Raúl to negotiate the end of the embargo, under which sanctions would be lifted provided a series of conditions are met, such as the release of over 300 political prisoners, enacting recently signed civil and political rights treaties, allowing free and transparent elections, lifting travel bans, and so forth. The Cuban regime, still led by Fidelistas, will most likely refuse.
However, the U.S. should lift the embargo, making a lot of noise about it, as it can reclaim its lost influence, respect, and credibility, which would shame its many critics.
But more importantly, by doing so, forces within Cuba will be unleashed that could ultimately bring about the changes initially intended by the measure, which would undoubtedly compel Raúl to open up much faster.