As
printed in
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
March 27, 2003
Dismal
diplomacy
By
Wayne S. Smith
It is true that even had we given the U.N. inspectors more time,
in the end we still might have had to use force to disarm Saddam
Hussein. But it is also true that with competent diplomacy and
a little more patience, we could have gone to war with the full
support of the U.N. and of the overwhelming majority of other
nations.
That, however, was to expect too much of the Bush administration,
for whether we are talking about the Middle East, North Korea,
Venezuela or a whole series of other states and episodes, its
diplomatic record is dismal. Its inept tactics, its bullying style,
have alienated countries around the world -- including many who
were once our close friends.
Cuba, of course, was not considered to be among the latter; relations
with it were already poor, but they are now nearing a crisis point.
We have read much over the past few days about the Cuban government's
deplorable crackdown against dissidents. Dozens have been arrested,
including a number connected with the so-called Varela Project.
Others are threatened with arrest. Yet, less than a year ago,
during his visit to Cuba, President Carter met with many of these
same dissidents. He spoke of the Varela Project on national television
and his words were carried two days later by the official Cuban
press. It was thus that many Cubans learned about the Varela Project
for the first time. Further, both before and after Carter's visit,
many other Americans, myself included, met regularly with these
Cuban dissidents and human rights activists and expressed support
for their efforts to
encourage a more open society.
All this was done in a context of full respect for Cuban sovereignty
and as part of a broad effort to emphasize the need for dialogue
and to improve relations between our two countries. Thus, the
meetings were accepted by the Cuban government, however unenthusiastically,
and it seemed that things might slowly be moving toward somewhat
greater tolerance.
What happened to change that prognosis? Why the crackdown? Essentially,
because of hardening attitudes and more aggressive tactics on
the part of the Bush administration. For the past six months,
for example, the new chief of the U.S. Interests Section, James
Cason, has been holding meetings with dissidents around the island,
passing out radios and other equipment to them and holding press
conferences after the meetings in which he has been pointedly
critical of the Cuban government.
Questionable diplomatic conduct at best, though obviously he has
been acting on instructions, but the point is that the purpose
of those instructions certainly has not been to improve relations.
Quite the contrary, when seen against the backdrop of a U.S. policy
which, in effect, calls for regime change, the whole effort seems
to the Cubans subversive in intent. The Helms-Burton Act, after
all, does call for the removal of the two Castros from power.
Hence, state security organs have arrested the dissidents, not
for expressing opinions against the Cuban government, but for
"plotting with American diplomats."
Cuban suspicions on this score are not assuaged, certainly, by
statements such as those of State Department spokesman Richard
Boucher, who reacted to the whole episode by saying that the arrest
of the dissidents reflected the desperation of the Castro government,
which "realizes that it is nearing its end." In other
words, he is saying, the regime change we want must be near at
hand.
The Cuban government has raised the possibility of closing the
two interests sections in retaliation. One hopes the Cubans will
think twice about that, especially as that would seem to be precisely
what the Bush administration is hoping for. What better way to
close off contact than by provoking the closing of the interests
sections?
Then there are also the matters of massive visa denials to Cuban
officials and academics, of refusals to allow the donation of
computers and other equipment to Cuban children's hospitals, of
tightened travel controls on U.S. citizens, and of various other
newly instituted measures.
What it all comes down to is that rather than responding to majority
public opinion and beginning to ease tensions and engage with
Cuba, the Bush administration is not only sticking to the same
old hard-line policy of threats, embargo and trying to isolate
the island, it is actually showing increased hostility, perhaps
in the hope that just a little more pressure will bring about
Castro's downfall.
But that policy and those tactics haven't worked in over 40 years
and they won't work now. Quite the contrary, they are likely to
backfire.
