The Double Standard is Alive and Well

In what can only be described as a double standard, the United States continues to keep in place an embargo on Cuba that was put in place in 1962 by President John F. Kennedy. Granted, the human rights record in Cuba is far from perfect, but then again, China – a nation with which we do billions of dollars of business on a monthly basis, has a human rights record that makes the Government of Cuba look like a bunch of choirboys.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon sent Henry Kissinger for secret talks with leaders on the Chinese mainland. The following year, President Nixon (who I might add, spoke fluent Chinese) went to the mainland and with Chairman Mao, formalized full diplomatic relations between the United States and the People’s Republic of China. In exchange for China’s new ties, Taiwan was booted out of the United Nations, and China was not only admitted, but also awarded one of the five permanent seats on the powerful UN Security Council – the other four being held by France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union (now Russian Federation) and the United States.

In the nearly 30 years since the normalization of relations between China and the U.S., we have come to depend on China for being a supplier of goods at low cost, even though they have to travel close to 6000 miles to make it to the West Coast. Cuba on the other hand, is just 90 miles off the coast of Florida, and they are a nation ripe for change. For some reason, every administration in power for nearly 40 years is afraid to approach Cuba and seek to normalize relations. Even Vietnam, which held thousands of our troops as prisoners of war during the Vietnam Conflict – and for years afterwards, enjoys full diplomatic relations with the United States. The most powerful backer for that measure was Senator John McCain (R-AZ), who himself was a prisoner of war there for over five years before coming home in 1973.

When you look at this, it begs one very powerful question: If China has helped U.S. industry with their products, Cuba has the potential to do likewise on account of the reduced distance. In addition, with trade between the countries, both Cuba and the United States will come out winners.

Cuban Flag

In a recent article on the FOX News Channel web site, they indicated that the Treasury Department is doing a crackdown on Americans traveling to Cuba (flag shown, right). Part of this includes their looking at Customs declarations forms they fill out on return from Cuba to third countries (usually Canada or Mexico). Additionally, surveillance is done on Americans in foreign airports getting off flights that originated in Cuba, with Canada in all likelihood being the leading country. This is because Cuba receives more visitors from Canada each year than from any other country in the world. Mexico also has flights to Cuba, though not as many as other countries. Many countries have entered into joint ventures with the Cuban government and there are numerous resorts on the island that are there for tourists to vacation on.

Fortunately, there are some in Congress who believe that maintaining the travel ban on Americans going to Cuba is nothing more than folly. Congressman Jeff Flake (R-AZ) has introduced an amendment to a Treasury spending bill that will lift the travel ban on Cuba. When asked about it, Flake said Treasury’s crackdown is “just an example of how absurd it is for our government to try to restrict where our citizens can go.” The more you think about it, the more you realize that travel restrictions just don’t mesh with the other freedoms that part and parcel of either contemporary American society or its history. Flake is right on the money when he says that the government is “absurd” when it asserts where its people can and cannot go.

Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ)

I have to agree with Flake (pictured, left). Trying to tell Americans where they can and cannot go is ridiculous. If Americans are stupid enough to go to places like Libya, Iran, Iraq, Sudan, North Korea or the like, they should be required to sign a release stating if they are either kidnapped or otherwise held by a hostile government, that while reasonable efforts will be made to secure their release, that neither they nor their families should either count on it or even get their hopes up.

If opening relations with China and Vietnam has been beneficial to both them and us, so should it be with Cuba. After all, even Castro knows that he cannot live forever, and with his eventual death, a free-for-all will come about – not only for power, but a mass exodus from Miami of Cuban-Americans and Cubans in exile seeking to return home and rebuild their country.

Cuba is a country with phenomenal potential, and it is one that the United States can use to its advantage if they were more willing to look at the big picture than in a block of voters in South Florida. If there was ever a time for the United States to extend a hand of friendship and trade to Cuba and its people, that time is now, and it can come none too soon.

• Cuban Flag courtesy of CIA World Factbook 2000 (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html)
• Photo of Rep. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) courtesy of his Official Web Site (http://www.house.gov/flake)

Copyright © 2001 by Timothy Rollins.
All Rights Reserved.

-Published with permission