The Trump Administrations Parting Outrage Against Cuba
In a parting gift to the Cuban exile community for their loyalty to Trump,
the US declared Cuba a state sponsor of terror.
by Medea Benjamin and Leonardo Flores
from Mint Press News
January 12th, 2021
By Medea Benjamin and
Leonardo Flores
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On January 11, in his final days before leaving office, Secretary of State
Mike Pompeo added one parting blow to the series of bludgeons his
administration has inflicted on Cuba for four years: putting the island on
the list of state sponsors of terror that includes only Iran, North Korea
and Syria. The designation drew swift condemnation from policymakers and
humanitarian groups as a decision widely characterized as politically
motivated. It comes six years after the Obama administration had removed
Cuba from the same list as part of his policy of rapprochement.
In the six years since, Trumps State Department could not point to a single
act of terror sponsored by Cuba. Instead, Secretary Pompeo based his
decision on Cubas alleged support for the ELN (National Liberation Army
Colombias second-largest guerilla group) and the harboring of a handful of
U.S. fugitives wanted for crimes committed in the 1970s, including renowned
Black revolutionary Assata Shakur. Lacking more specific accusations, the
State Department criticized Cuba for its supposed malign interference in
Venezuela and the rest of the Western Hemisphere.
These claims dont stand up to scrutiny. Regarding the ELN, the gist of the
story is that the Trump administration is punishing Cuba for its role in
attempting to bring peace to the long-simmering conflict in Colombia. ELN
negotiators arrived in Cuba in 2018 for peace talks with the Colombian
government. As part of the protocols for these meetings, ELN negotiators
were allowed entry into Cuba and promised safe passage back into Colombia
after their conclusion. Guarantor countries, including Cuba and Norway,
assumed responsibility for their safe return. The talks collapsed in January
2019 following an ELN car bombing in Bogotá that killed 22 people. Colombia
requested the extradition of the negotiators, but Cuba refused because the
Colombia government will not honor the previous governments commitment to
guaranteeing the negotiators freedom upon returning home.
Regarding Secretary Pompeos other arguments, Cubas main influence in the
Western Hemisphere has been the opposite of malign: it has deployed its
doctors throughout the region and the world, saving thousands of lives
during the Covid-19 pandemic. And when it comes to harboring terrorists,
its worth noting that for decades the United States harbored Luis Posada
Carriles, mastermind of a 1973 bombing that killed 73 people on a Cuban
commercial airliner.
Cubans MAGA
Members of the Cuban Los 3 de La Habana, sing during a MAGA event with
Ivanka Trump in Miami, Oct. 27, 2020. Wilfredo Lee | AP
Cubas placement on the state sponsors of terror list is meant to be a thorn
in any plan by the Biden administration for rapprochement. Taking Cuba off
the list will require a review process that could take months, delaying any
new initiatives to roll back Trump-era policies. It will also cause further
pain to Cubas economy, already battered by tightened sanctions and the
pandemic that has devastated the islands tourism industry. The new
terrorism label will likely scare off many businesses that import to Cuba,
banks that finance transactions with Cuba and foreign investors.
Stunning but not surprising.
A week before the designation, nine U.S. Senators wrote to Secretary Pompeo
and warned that such a step will politicize our national security. It has
drawn strong condemnation from Senator Patrick Leahy, who said it made a
mockery of what had been a credible, objective measure, and House Foreign
Affairs Chairman, Representative Gregory Meeks who said the hypocrisy from
President Trump less than a week after he incited a domestic terror attack
was stunning but not surprising.
Faith group Pastors For Peace was one of many organizations to condemn the
designation: We know that this latest act, in the waning days of the Trump
administration, is not only an aggressive act against Cuba, but aggression
against the incoming administration who have pledged to return to a policy
leading to peace and civilized relations with our island neighbor.
Policy group ACERE (which CODEPINK is a part of) drew a connection between
the designation and recent events at home: Perpetuating the myth that Cuba
is a threat to the American people while minimizing the threat posed by
far-right extremists at home is an embarrassment to our country on the
world stage.
The real motive behind this move is to offer a parting gift to the Cuban
exile community and its allies that have been loyal supporters of the Trump
administration and helped oust several Democratic members of Congress in the
last election. This is par for the course for an administration that has
repeatedly used sanctions for political gain with no regard for the Cuban
people who, for four years, have borne the brunt of sanctions affecting
everything from energy, tourism, medicines, remittances and flights. Just
like millions of U.S. citizens, Cubans are counting the days until the Trump
administration becomes history and hoping the next administration will offer
some relief.
