Biden Lags Well Behind Obama in U.S.-Cuban Diplomacy by Ramona Wadi!
(2021-03-15 at 01:17:41 )

Biden Lags Well Behind Obama in U.S.-Cuban Diplomacy by Ramona Wadi!

How will Joe Biden determine what and who is good for Cuba, and why not leave the decision to the Cuban government and the people?

In its typical, belligerent style, the Donald Trump administration signed off its tenure with some last minute amendments. Returning Cuba to the United States State Sponsors of Terrorism List was one prominent reversal of the diplomatic advancements made by former United States President Barack Obama in 2015, after both countries reached an agreement of a prisoner exchange - the remaining members of the Cuban Five in return for USAID contractor Alan Gross. Both countries restored full diplomatic ties, marking an end, or so it was thought, to decades of United States hostility against the island following the Cuban Revolutions ousting of imperialist-backed dictator Fulgencio Batista. With the normalisation of relations, attention had finally shifted towards the illegal United States blockade on Cuba.

Donald Trumps presidency swiftly reversed all of Barack Obamas advancements, pulling out diplomatic personnel, banning United States travel to Cuba and imposing economic sanctions. One other contention centred on Cuban-Venezuelan relations, which the United States described as complicity in human rights abuses, even as the United States embarked upon a policy of regime change in Latin America which sought to install Juan Guaido as president in 2019 - a status no longer recognised by the European Union.

Now that United States President Joe Biden is building up his presidential commitments upon the premise of democracy, as the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance document claims, what position does Cuba occupy in terms of President Bidens democracy and diplomacy?

So far, the Biden administration has asserted it will be revieing Donald Trumps decision to include Cuba on the state sponsors of terror list. But, "A Cuba policy shift is not currently among President Bidens top priorities," a White House Official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

Perhaps a more telling statement by White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki reveals more about a possibly polarising stance which might be adopted by the Biden administration. "Americans, especially Cuban Americans, are the best ambassadors for freedom and prosperity in Cuba."

Recent Cuban-American history is significantly tied to the United States attempts to overthrow the Cuban Revolution. The most affluent, and therefore most capable of influencing United States policy towards Cuba, were instrumental in pushing for legislation curbing Cubas economic development in the 1990s, through the Cuban American National Fund (CANF).

In the Barack Obama era, the removal of Cuba from the United States list of terror sponsors was considered an important development - a breakthrough that could usher in a new era of relations. With Biden contemplating reversing Donald Trumps decision, yet refusing to make Cuba a diplomatic priority signals a departure from Obamas aims. President Biden may pontificate about democracy, but being an alternative to Trump means very little in terms of accomplishment.

The Trump administrations rescinding of Obamas policies did not only bring relations to a standstill. It also unravelled the possibility of gradually opening up the political debate about the illegal United States blockade on Cuba.

With a dearth of policies to consider revoking, the United States is playing havoc with Cubas economy, at a time when the island has been at the helm responding to other nations calls for assistance over the coronavirus pandemic.

Does President Bidens democracy include selective acceptance of Donald Trumps policies? How will Biden determine what and who is good for Cuba, and why not leave the decision to the Cuban government and the people??

The United States terror sponsor list is a debacle - if it were accurate, the United States could sign itself top of the list for all the atrocities it committed worldwide in the name of democracy.

Its record in Cuba, and regionally in Latin America are prime examples. If the United States is truly concerned about democracy, it would not make a show out of contemplating a clearly vindictive, parting gesture against Cuba.

The fact that such news was juxtaposed against a statement that clearly deprioritised Cuba, says as much about the current administration as the previous restrictions did about Donald Trump.

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