"The Entrenched Cuban Embargo"
by Alberto Jones
October 19, 2009
In the upcoming days, the United Nations General Assembly gathered in New York will hear once again, an endless list of powerful arguments denouncing the fifty year old war of attrition, that the most powerful nation on earth have imposed unilaterally upon a small, developing country for no legal or morally acceptable reasons. What is really sad about this event, is that it is rapidly becoming a ritual, in which the United Nations is unable to carry out the mandate for which it was created.
As it has been during the past decade, we can anticipate a near unanimous parade of heads of delegation, denouncing this immoral practice and demanding the United States to cease and desist from this inhumane practice, which have caused unspeakable harm to the people of Cuba. At the end, when the votes are cast and counted, the world will receive another slap on its face, when one hundred and eighty something nations abstain or vote against this monstrosity and the United States exerts its overwhelming power with the help Israel and a couple of geographically insignificant or financiallly compromised nations, to deny the will of the majority, further weakening the authority of this institution and leading many to ask, what's the purpose of this expensive exercise in futility?
We have and will continue to despair over this irrational behavior, yet we must remember, that each of these despicable acts, have become a part of human history.
On the other hand, when we read year after year, the powerful arguments presented by the Cuban government describing the damaging effects the embargo/blockade have done, in its effort to stifle education, health, industry, culture, development and every other sector in Cuba, it becomes harder and harder for any average outsider to understand, how can the Cuban government expect that this year, after presenting the same report, about the same government, at the same United Nations Assembly, that this time around, they will meekly go to the podium, apologize for thier historical wrongdoings, squash this rotten policy, become friends and live happily ever after with Cuba.
Never in life, have anyone done the same things over and over and achieve a different outcome. With this basic premise in mind, it is therefore incumbent upon Cuba, the victim, to actively develop a strategy that is capable of forcing the United States government to relinquish its murderous stranglehold on our people, rather than continuing to accrue symbolic, moral victories on the world scene, with no tangible results four our people.
As we have experienced over time, leverage is the key in all negotiations. Cuba has not been at war with the United States nor have killed over 50,000 of its soldiers. Viet Nam did and yet, leverage have created a different outcome.
China have not renounced or denounced its socialist political arrangement, which puts her in a similar political camp as Cuba. Yet, the treatment of both countries by the US, are diametrically opposed.
As Cuba, the United States have labelled Iran as the worst country in the world and yet, it has refrained from imposing any draconian political or military measures against which Iran, would likely retaliate reducing or shutting-off its oil supply to some of the US allies.
What were the arguments invoked by the US to send its armed forces into the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Grenada or Panama, that are absent in Honduras for the past two months, while they debate or concoct theories, intended to allow time to run out on the dethroned president?
Is it not an apparent lack of leverage, that have allowed the US government to remain for over 100 years in the illegally occupied territory of Guantanamo Bay Cuba, now turned into a torture center similar to Abu Ghraib?
Cuba has too many highly educated people in and out of government, not to be able to extrapolate from these weak bargaining position and determine why this absurd position of the US government have remained entrenched, with no change in sight. As long as Cuba refrain from developing a well outlined strategic plan, capable of leveraging with the US self imposed embargo, nothing is going to change.
Few people in the world would dispute, that the main goal of the US government is to weaken, erode and encourage the collapse of the Cuban government, so that once again as in 1898, every valuable enterprise in Cuba, will be back in the hands of US transnationals. Unwittingly, Cuba's position over the years, have been based on the righteousness of its just and fair cause, which have unfortunately left in place, an outdated, non-changing approach, which the US can live with, while the Cuban people despair because of years of pain, suffering and stagnation, is wearing thin, causing a clear loss of support especially among the younger generation, whose only solution seems to lie with migration.
In lies squarely in the hands of the Cuban government, to do an in depth study of why after fifty years of denouncing this injustice, nothing have changed and come up with an alternative approach, eveh though it may or may not elicit a different result.
Many are convinced, that if the Cuban government would take a few basic steps, that would send a clear message to corporate America, indicating a real possibility of loosing it's hopes of reconquering Cuba financial world, they would, as many others who have claims of properties loss in Cuba, assume the position to let bygone be bygone.
Open bids to international corporations, for the creation of exclusive joint ventures with the Cuban government for the next 10 years, of a national food, medicine and medical supplies distribution chain.
Open bids to internationals corporations for the creation of 10 years exclusive joint ventures with the Cuban government for all air, land and sea transportation.
Open bids to internationals corporation for the creation of 10 years exclusive joint ventures with the Cuban government for the operation of mining, fisheries and environmental development.
Open bids to internationals corporations for the creation of 10 years exclusive joint ventures with the Cuban government for the hospitality industry.
Open bids for the promotion for of small business cooperatives between the Cuban government, Cuban nationals in and outside Cuba and with every solidarity solidarity organization.
Logic suggests that one year after the enactment of these and other simple principles, the embargo/blockade will no longer exists and become an integral part of our turbulent history.
