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Column 060815 Brewer
Monday, June 8, 2015
Pollyannaish Obama Visionless to Cuban Stranglehold on People By Jerry Brewer At an absolute minimum, it is inarguably peculiar as to why U.S. favor is granted to a rogue Cuban regime that has never been elected. It is also accurate to attribute the decades of poverty and misery to the legendary economic mismanagement of the island nation by the Castro brothers. Cubas exhausting socialist experiment has consistently failed miserably under the leadership of Fidel and Raul Castro. Interesting as well, Cubas decades of annual Soviet subsidies of billions of dollars, and open trade with many nations, failed the nation's 10 million plus citizens. Venezuela, in correlation, during the 14 year rule of the late Hugo Chavez and now under his protg President
Nicolas Maduro, has had more
lasting structural damage inflicted on its government and political institutions, economy and people than by any other president in the country's history. Hugo Chavez's devotion to his mentor, Fidel Castro, ushered in Bolivarianism as a similar version of the Cuban system forcing socialist perspectives on the people of Venezuelan that resulted in (continuing) horrific sacrifices. Far beyond the implications of simply mismanaging and squandering astronomical amounts of Venezuelas oil wealth, both the Cuba and Venezuela leftist rogue regimes have been routinely linked to terrorism and drug trafficking. Moreover, Hugo Chavez is said to have acquired a massive personal fortune while in office. Assuredly, the most significant issues that should have been carefully examined and competently investigated, before seeking rapprochement with the Cuban regime, were the decades old to current abuses of the human and civil rights of the people of Cuba. Why are the plights of Cuban citizens consistently ignored, when voluminous international communications via social media and some worldwide news entities regularly run a
barrage of factual reports via
public access outlets? This, as well, while ignoring more than 50 years of U.S. policy against a staunch Castro Cuban Communist regime, that has decades of blood on its hands and that was reported early into Fidel Castros ironfisted rule to be a travesty against Cubas people. Plus there were those who have been routinely executed during the Castros tenure. Moreover, current head of state Raul Castro has steadfastly stated that Cubas Communist ideology will remain. And lest we not forget that the Castro brothers have never disguised their venomous hatred of the U.S. Fidel Castro, while president, stated, Together we can bring America to its knees. The U.S. regime is very weak, and we are witnessing this weakness close up. President Barack Obama chose to make the decision with little explanation or acknowledgement of the true suffering of the Cuban people, suffering due to the rueful policies and acts of the oppressive Castro brothers unwavering allegiance to their ongoing Communist doctrine. Although no relevant concessions were made by the Cuban dictatorial regime for
President Obamas personal
generosity, the Obama administration was quick to pronounce the actions as something that would help human rights almost automatically. Empty rhetoric from the administration continues to litter the disclaimer for such action. A critical focus of these actions will include continued strong support for improved human rights conditions and democratic reforms in Cuba. The promotion of democracy supports universal human rights by empowering civil society and a persons right to speak freely, peacefully assemble and associate, and by supporting the ability of people to freely determine their future. The U.S. efforts are aimed at promoting the independence of the Cuban people so they do not need to rely on the Cuban state. Once again, arrests and beatings appear to be increasing significantly against those attempting to speak freely, peacefully assemble and associate, and even remotely determine their future. And hundreds of Cuban dissidents have been arrested anew throughout the island nation. Four dozen members of the frequently targeted Ladies in White were arrested as they attended Sunday Mass recently in Havana. In Santiago over 80
activists of the Cuban Patriotic
Union (UNPACU) were beaten and arrested, some of which had been previously released under the Castro-Obama agreement. It appears that the Obama administration is continuing to ignore Cuban democracy leaders, as dissidents from Cubas Anti-Totalitarian Front were arrested on May 27 as they distributed images of political prisoners being held in Castros prisons. Removing the "terrorist state" label against the Cuban regime that previous U.S. administrations and allies carefully attributed to the Castro brothers for their support for Iran, North Korea, Russia, China, and Syria's assault and murder of protesters, demonstrates a critical error in judgment or complete lack of facts and intelligence review. Is it true, as many claim, that the conflict with Cuba is merely a U.S. arrogance against the Cuban government and the Castro regime in particular? As far back as 2003, the European Union accused the Cuban government of continuing flagrant violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms. In 2008, Cuba had the second highest number of imprisoned
journalists of any nation in the
world. Will despotic Cuba extend true freedom and genuine rights for the people before a world audience and capitalism find their way into Cuba? I wouldnt take that bet.
Jerry Brewer is C.E.O. of
Criminal Justice International Associates, a global threat mitigation firm headquartered in northern Virginia. His website is located at www.cjiausa.org. TWITTER: CJIAUSA Jerry Brewer Published Archives