I would not want to do anything to perpetuate the Cuban regime.
I would also like to position our country to gain the friendship of the Cuban people once the regime either collapses or evolves post-Fidel.
So I'm unwilling to criticize President Obama for this initiative:
Trading their warmest words in a half-century, the United States and Cuba built momentum toward renewed ties on Friday, with President Barack Obama declaring he "seeks a new beginning" — including direct talks — with the island's communist regime. As leaders of the Americas gathered for a summit in this Caribbean nation, the head of the Organization of American States even said he'll ask his group to invite Cuba back after 47 years.
In remarks kicking off the weekend gathering of nations — of which Cuba was the only country in the region not represented — Obama repeated the kind of remarks toward the Castro regime that marked his campaign for the presidency.
"The United States seeks a new beginning with Cuba," he said at the Summit of the Americas opening ceremony, according to his remarks released in advance by the White House. "I know there is a longer journey that must be traveled in overcoming decades of mistrust, but there are critical steps we can take toward a new day."
Given that the rest of the West does not isolate Cuba under the Castros, our continued refusal to trade is no more than a statement of our disapproval of the regime. Given the many political prisoners and lack of freedom in Cuba, this is no small thing, of course.
But if our thaw consists of steps that help Cubans directly without granting any American approval toward the Cuban government that might prolong their rule, this might be fine. I like to remind myself that I didn't think much of the Helsinki accords of 1975 back at the time. While it did recognize Soviet rule in Eastern Europe, we weren't about to forcibly change them. And the accords did establish the basis of fighting for human rights in the Soviet bloc. That small beginning eventually helped bring the Berlin Wall down only 14 years later.
The objective is a free and friendly Cuba. I'm open to changing strategy to achieve that.
