Center for International Policy

26th May

And, There They Go Again

There are times in life when we obliged to reference matters that are international in scope. This is so because –no matter the issue- The Bahamas is involved. Indeed, this is so by definition. Put otherwise, we start from the premise that there is often much confusion as to where the national ends and the international begins.

Today we reference an issue that is currently on the agenda in Florida. That issue- coincidentally- involves two of our closest neighbors, Cuba and the United States.

The issue we are referencing can –in a way- be put in that category that we half-humorously label, "And, there they go again". We put it this way because it involves but yet again, another effort to hobble an already deeply wounded neighbor.

This time around, Cuba and the Cuban people are being subjected to more oppression. And as usual, this pressure is being spear headed by Cuban-Americans who are disaffected by the successes of the Cuban Revolution.

Of note in this regard is a story written by journalist Mark Hollis. He writes for the Florida Sun-Sentinel. He reports that Gov. Jeb Bush indicated Tuesday he will sign a bill that would forbid professors and students from visiting Cuba and other nations accused of supporting terrorism.

We also are learning that Bush's backing of the legislation, sponsored by state Rep. David Rivera, a Miami Republican who represents a portion of Broward County, would make Florida one of the most restrictive states for travel by scholars.

In our opinion it is both odious and ominous that the bill bans faculty and students at public universities and community colleges from using ``state or non-state funds'' to travel to any country deemed a sponsor of terrorists. Five countries would be considered off-limits: Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria.

Interestingly, the bill does not specify penalties for violators.

We note too that the proposal, which easily cleared both chambers of the Florida Legislature earlier this month, has been sharply criticized by academics as an infringement on their rights that would impede important research, especially in Cuba. These critics said it would impede advancement in a wide variety of studies, including agriculture and public health.

And again as reported by Hollis, "Damian Fernandez, director of the Cuban Research Institute at Florida International University, warned that the proposal will undermine efforts to recruit scholars who study in Florida and abroad.

We can also report that "Wayne S. Smith, a senior fellow at the Center for International Policy in Washington, D.C., said the legislation would block potentially valuable research for Florida, and that there is little political justification for such a ban.

"Bush downplayed the criticism, saying he thinks public and private money should not "go to countries that are our enemies." He also said he is skeptical that much legitimate research is conducted during travel to those countries."

Be that as it may, we are not impressed with laws and policies that seek to undermine or curtail academic and other peaceful contacts between the peoples of the world. And for sure, we just do not buy the argument that Cuba is actually a state sponsor of terrorism.

Furthermore, we reiterate a scenario we have previously painted. That view suggested that The Bahamas and its neighbors in the Caribbean –inclusive of The Republic of Haiti and Cuba- are quite literally speaking, no threat to the United States of America.

But while this broad generalization is true enough, there is a sense in which specific American interests do overlap with interests and issues in the Caribbean.

The one that comes to mind involves the role a powerful Cuban-American lobby plays in Florida. By extension, this political force can play a large role in determining how Florida’s pivotal electoral votes are ultimately distributed.

Indeed, this lobby played a determining role in deciding the outcome of the presidential elections that ended with George W. Bush elected as president. That election which seemed so very strange to so very many people around the world demonstrated the power inherent in this crucial state.

Today Jeb Bush is Florida’s Governor.

Even now, there is speculation that this brother to a president may have presidential ambitions of his own. If this proves to be the case, might this not suggest that the Cuban lobby might yet again play a crucial role in another presidential contest?

In the ultimate analysis, then, it stands to reason that we do not wish to support projects and policies that are so transparently iniquitous.