3 results for tag: Cuba
Normal Relations With Cuba Long Overdue
This is the second in a two part series on Cuba by Philip Anderson. The first article in this series can be found archived under the author’s name. Mr. Anderson is a twenty year veteran of the U.S. military.
Establishing normal diplomatic and economic relations with Cuba is long overdue. For over 50 years we have bullied and threatened this small, poor nation for no good reason. Not only has our animosity toward Cuba been irrational and unnecessary, it has been a complete failure. President Obama should be praised and supported for finally considering improved relations.
Unfortunately, we still are blinded by our hubris. The tone set by the ...
Cuba – A Historic Perspective
This is the first article in a two part series on Cuba by Philip Anderson. Mr. Anderson is a twenty year veteran of the U.S. military.
American involvement in Cuba begins long before Castro and the current socialist government. To understand the harm our government's actions have brought to the people of Cuba requires looking at this history. To understand the present, we must look at the past.
All through the 1800s many Americans advocated annexing, buying, or otherwise expanding U.S. influence in Cuba. Commercial gain, increasing trade, and expanding slave territory were the primary motivations. By the 1890s, the U.S. was a dominant ...
Hypocrisy is Not Good Diplomacy
It was recently in the news that Cuba is going to release 50 “political” prisoners as part of normalizing diplomatic relations. Cuba must reform its evil ways, but we can continue ours.
Ironically we still have 122 political “detainees” in Guantanamo Cuba. Most of them have not been charged or convicted of anything. Of these, 54 have been cleared for release but are still being held.
Estimates of other U.S. “political” prisoners range from hundreds to thousands. We certainly have many “prisoners of conscience” even though they may not have been officially convicted of a political offense. For example, Greg Boertje-Obed, a Duluth ...