Following the Democrats’ loss of two consecutive elections in Florida, US, President Joe Biden’s position on Cuba confirms that humanity is losing ground in politics, analysts today believe.
The number two from former president Barack Obama’s government is keeping Trump-era restrictions on Cuba following the inroads made by the government that he was part of.
The human factor pales in the face of dark interests of minority sectors of conservative Cuban Americans in Florida, according to scholars of the dispute.
“The Cuba issue doesn’t play anywhere in the country but Florida, and here I think it’s a liability to say, ‘let’s normalise relations with Cuba.’” said Guillermo Grenier, professor at Florida International University, quoted in The Hill newspaper. Five years ago, a Pew Investigation Centre survey showed that 75% of Americans were in favour of normalising relations between Washington and Havana, and 73% supported ending the blockade against the island.
These figures are probably not the same today, but it is a fact that there are more cities in the country that, through solidarity committees, demonstrate criteria supporting becoming closer to and stopping the political blockade, which is classified by the UN as “genocide and criminal”.
Recently, William M. LeoGrande, government professor at the American University in Washington, analysed how the White House insists on keeping hunger in its arsenal of weapons against the islanders.
“Cuba imports 70% of its food and its foreign exchange earnings have plummeted due to the cut-off of remittances by Trump and the closure of the tourism industry by Covid-19,” he said.
“Increases in world market prices for food, have aggravated an already precarious situation, producing severe shortages,” LeoGrande pointed out.
Keeping up the ideas that Assistant Secretary of State for Inter-American Affairs, Lester Mallory, put forward in April 1960, could lead to a situation which is inconvenient for both parties.
Not counting the conservative Cuban American vote in Florida, which will not be inclined towards the Democrats.
If the White House continues with Mallory’s ideas (“Every possible means should be used to weaken the economic life of Cuba…with the objective of provoking hunger, desperation and the overthrow of the government”), the path will become more rugged and a very rocky stage will come to pass.
Now, the most effected people are the Cubans on the island and, of course, the American businesses, farmers and millions of American citizens who have seen their rights violated for travelling to the territory south of their country.
To illustrate the situation, a CIA report in 1993 showed that “the shortage of food and distribution issues have caused malnutrition and illness” in Cuba. Nevertheless, US politicians stayed on the road to failure and Cubans reasserted their right to govern themselves at any cost.
The plans announced by Mike Pompeo, former Secretary of State for European diplomats, to “starve” the island to overthrow the government, failed and the path is being followed by Biden, keeping up the aggressive policies.
Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the United States signed, includes the right to adequate food, a huge lie when its failed policy for more than 60 years is analysed.
“If President Biden wants to support human rights in Cuba and give power to the Cuban people, he could start by alleviating the food crisis, putting an end to the prohibition of shipments dictated by Trump and restoring the right to travel for residents in the US,” said LeoGrande in his views on the case.
There are no excuses for any delay and helping to fix the crisis facing Cubans “is a moral obligation, an extension of the responsibility to protect”, where humanity must overcome narrow political assessments. (PL)
(Translated by Donna Davison. Email – Email: donna_davison@hotmail.com) – Photos: Pixabay
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